BioFabrication Facility (BFF) — In-Space Bioprinting on ISS
Description
Made In Space (now Redwire) is a US company pioneering in-space manufacturing — fabricating products in microgravity that cannot be made as effectively on Earth. Their BioFabrication Facility (BFF) is the first commercial in-space bioprinter, permanently installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019. The BFF uses a precision extrusion process to 3D-print biological constructs using human cardiac and meniscal tissue cells in microgravity, where the absence of gravity allows cells to aggregate without scaffolding and self-organize more naturally — potentially enabling the future manufacture of functional organ tissues in space for use on Earth. Made In Space also manufactured ZBLAN optical fiber cables aboard the ISS — ZBLAN (a heavy-metal fluoride glass) fiber has far lower optical losses than conventional silica fiber but crystallizes when drawn on Earth; microgravity allows formation of defect-free ZBLAN fiber. Made In Space developed the first additive manufacturing facility (AMF) to 3D-print plastic parts on the ISS (2016) and the Archinaut autonomous assembly robot for in-space construction.