Space Manufacturing Technology

Day: Wednesday 7 October
Time: 10:15 - 11:15
Location:

Space manufacturing is rapidly emerging as a foundational capability for the future of human space exploration and the development of a sustainable space economy. Recognized by the World Economic Forum in 2025 as one of the 12 transformative technologies expected to reshape future space missions, space manufacturing harnesses the unique conditions of microgravity, vacuum, radiation, and extreme thermal environments to produce materials, components, and biological systems with properties that are difficult—or impossible—to achieve on Earth.

The field encompasses a broad spectrum of technologies, including advanced materials, additive manufacturing, biomanufacturing, autonomous robotics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, and in situ resource utilization. Microgravity enables unprecedented opportunities to fabricate high-performance alloys, composites, semiconductors, optical fibers, and other advanced materials with enhanced structural and functional characteristics, while also enabling novel additive manufacturing processes for lightweight structures, medical devices, and mission-critical components. These innovations not only reduce cost, increase reliability, and support sustainable exploration architectures for the Moon, Mars, and beyond, but also drive transformative advances in aerospace, healthcare, energy, electronics, and advanced manufacturing on Earth.

Space biomanufacturing represents another rapidly expanding frontier, offering unique opportunities to produce high-value biomedical products—including stem cell therapies, engineered tissues, organoids, extracellular vesicles, biopharmaceuticals, and vaccines—with enhanced quality and functionality. These capabilities have the potential to revolutionize healthcare for astronauts during long-duration missions while accelerating the development of next-generation therapeutics, regenerative medicine, and precision healthcare for terrestrial populations.

This Global Networking Forum will convene internationally recognized leaders from academia, industry, government, and the investment community to explore the latest scientific advances, commercialization opportunities, and strategic partnerships shaping the future of space manufacturing. Through discussions spanning advanced materials, additive manufacturing, space biomanufacturing, and emerging industrial applications, participants will gain actionable insights into how innovations developed in space are enabling future exploration while generating breakthrough technologies that strengthen global competitiveness and create tangible benefits for industries and society on Earth.

Moderators

Fathi KAROUIA

Senior Research Scientist at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (NASA Ames Research Center), In-Space Commercialization Lead at BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado Boulder

United States