https://www.cas.cn/cm/202601/t20260126_5097216.shtml

The CAS Institute of Mechanics has carried out laser additive manufacturing (3D printing) under microgravity.

The experiment was carried out in a suborbital mission aboard the CAS Space Technology’s “Lihong-1” Y1 spacecraft, successfully acquiring metal components and all data generated in the microgravity environment of space.

Space metal 3D printing is considered a key enabling technology for future space missions, enabling rapid on-orbit manufacturing and autonomous repair of spacecraft components, significantly improving the mission flexibility and sustainability of deep space exploration, long-term space station operation, and lunar base construction.

The “Lihong-1” Y1 spacecraft flies at an altitude of approximately 120 kilometers and provides a high-quality microgravity environment for over 300 seconds. In the future, it will be upgraded to an orbital-class space manufacturing spacecraft with a maximum orbital stay of no less than one year and at least 10 reuses, meeting the high-precision requirements of on-orbit manufacturing and supporting cutting-edge scientific experiments in on-orbit manufacturing, microgravity physics, space life sciences, and space materials science in China.