FEBRUARY 2026AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM9Made In Space (now Redwire Space) received a $74 million grant from NASA to demonstrate the ability to 3D print and assemble a 16-meter solar array in space from a single payload. This mission passed its critical design review in April 2022 and could launch as early as next year.Some aerospace corporations are expanding into in-space manufacturing. Airbus, in partnership with the European Space Agency, has created the first metal 3D printer to send to the ISS as early as next year. The technology can print entirely new spacecraft parts in space and has the potential to recycle metal from defunct satellites already on orbit.Industries on Earth Seek Microgravity AdvantageWhile in-space manufacturing has obvious benefits for space missions, it could also revolutionize certain on-Earth industries. Manufacturing in a microgravity environment can enhance applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to optic fibers. The ISS hosts multiple bioprinters experimenting with tissue and organ printing without the constraints of scaffolding needed to support the complex structures on Earth.Manufacturing in space on dedicated platforms will be more costly than on Earth, but there is also a large market potential. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation estimates revenues more than $2.6 billion for electronic goods such as fiber-optic cables, and McKinsey & Company estimates that pharmaceuticals alone could reach $4.2 billion in revenues if select companies partnered with space companies in microgravity product development. Amgen developed two new osteoporosis treatments through microgravity research on the ISS, and those drugs generated $4.6 billion in sales in 2020.Companies such as Space Forge and Varda Space Industries, which are developing in-space manufacturing platforms, have received large investments in recent years. Varda has raised more than $50 million since it was founded in 2020 and will launch its first facility in 2023. Space Forge, a U.K.-based firm, has raised more than $10 million.These are just a few examples of the research, development, and expected growth that will happen in space in the coming years. New nations and private companies are planning replacements to the aging Space Station. These new stations will expand microgravity research, vastly increase on-orbit manufacturing, and promise to make space tourism routine.Inspiring the Future Space WorkforceThe backbone of all this potential is a workforce with the skills to create an on-orbit environment that will fuel more manufacturing and even greater capabilities in space. We need workers who will harness the incredible advancements we have seen in space in recent years, will return those benefits to life on Earth, and advance humankind's ascent into the frontier of space.Two Space Foundation initiatives, the Center for Innovation and Education and Global Alliance, endeavor to help create the workforce of the future and inspire entrepreneurs to create new sectors of the space industry. The Center for Innovation and Education is a lifelong learning platform for the global space ecosystem that delivers workforce development programs and economic opportunity for students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and professionals worldwide. Our Global Alliance facilitates collaboration across the global space ecosystem, connecting commercial, education and government stakeholders for networking, open dialogues, and joint programs.New Space Foundation efforts include a collaboration with the White House National Space Council and NASA to build our Moon Colony Kit. Embodying a "Space for Everyone" theme, the kit allows students in fourth through eighth grades to explore 50 STEAM careers associated with establishing a Moon colony.By working with young people early in their educational careers, we create the energy and know-how that every portion of the global space community is demanding -- a ready workforce capable of serving missions bigger than we can imagine today.Look at where imagination and innovation have taken us already -- to the threshold of seeing rocket fuel developed from moon dust and new satellites manufactured from space junk. If we can envision and accomplish that, imagine what we will achieve as we dedicate more resources into developing a skilled space workforce to build on that future. BY WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE EARLY IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL CAREERS, WE CREATE THE ENERGY AND KNOW-HOW THAT EVERY PORTION OF THE GLOBAL SPACE COMMUNITY IS DEMANDING -- A READY WORKFORCE CAPABLE OF SERVING MISSIONS BIGGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE TODAY.
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