Paradigm shift: Need something in space? Print it, don’t ship it

This article discusses that a 3D Printer will be launched into space this year aboard commercial space flight provider SpaceX’s dragon capsule. The CEO of the company Made In Space, Mike Chen, describes this as a “proof of concept” for the efficiency and convenience it provides for astronauts in orbit. Since it is incredibly expensive to launch crucial objects into space, Chen says that physically printing the object or tool in space would save the headache and money of creating it here and launching it into space on a shuttle. Chen further details that the power of printing in space allows people to print objects that exists in a no gravity environment. This article is a look into the technological power that a 3D printer provides for once seemingly difficult tasks, such as creating and reproducing specially engineered objects.