In-space manufacturing (ISM) encompasses any fabrication or processing activity conducted in orbit, leveraging the unique microgravity environment to produce materials and products that cannot be made on Earth. Current ISM activities include 3D printing of tools and spare parts on the ISS (by Redwire), fiber optic cable production (ZBLAN), pharmaceutical crystallization (Varda Space Industries), and semiconductor wafer growth experiments.
The ISM market is expected to grow significantly as commercial space stations come online and launch costs continue to decline. Varda Space Industries has demonstrated the end-to-end process of manufacturing pharmaceutical crystals in orbit and returning them to Earth in a re-entry capsule. Redwire is developing additive manufacturing and robotic assembly capabilities for building large structures in orbit that are too large to fit inside any launch vehicle fairing.