Aerospace & Defense

On February 3, as the Mercury One satellite passed over Earth, a small box released a titanium spring with a simple yet disruptive movement. This was the JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), a technology demonstration developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion…

Additive manufacturing promises lighter parts, complex geometries and faster production for aerospace. But in aviation, printing a component is the easy part. Proving it will survive in operation is what determines whether it is ever approved for service. A component…

On the Moon, nothing is easy to replace. Every tool, spare part and structural component must be launched from Earth, with a very high price tag. (There’s no Amazon Prime on the Moon.) The solution, researchers from The Ohio State…

British defense leader QinetiQ has reached a milestone in “circular” defense manufacturing with the successful maiden flight of a 3D-printed structural component made from recycled titanium. The test, conducted by QinetiQ’s Flight Test Organisation at MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire,…

In a previous analysis of 2025 3D printing trends, we mentioned how the defense sector is showing increasing interest in additive manufacturing, to the point of integrating it as a key technology in its operations. A new application for the…

In aerospace additive manufacturing, you expect the story to start with rockets. This one starts with an ink cartridge. Years before working on aerospace antenna systems, Garrett Hawkins was a high school student measuring a printer cartridge with calipers, recreating…

In the midst of the US Department of Defense’s race to achieve “drone dominance,” an ambitious plan that envisions the acquisition of up to 300,000 single-use attack drones by 2028, the Marine Corps has taken an initial step. This involves…

Lunar regolith—the loose dust and rock covering the Moon’s surface—is far more than just dirt. It is comprised of approximately 40-45% oxygen. Since 2019, the company Metalysis has collaborated with both the UK and European Space Agencies to extract this…

One small step for man, one giant step for 3D printing in free space: SpaceX launched its first Twilight rideshare mission of 2026, including an experiment testing whether a structure can be manufactured directly in space using 3D printing. The…

Last October, U.S. troops demonstrated just how far additive manufacturing has come by successfully 3D printing drone parts inside a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter mid-flight. As the aircraft carried out tactical maneuvers, the printer continued to operate, producing functional components…

A geometric model developed through a collaboration between the University of Oxford and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics has just become the focus of one of the most remarkable experiments ever carried out in space. These “soft cells”…

How often do you hear about 3D-printed structures undergoing live ballistic trials? In India, the Army’s Trishakti Corps has pushed construction 3D printing into defense terrain, deploying a robotic concrete 3D printer across forward areas in northern Sikkim and adjoining…