Innovative Space Hardware for Biology: DLR Leverages 3D Printing for Sounding Rocket Missions

Sebastian Feles of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has demonstrated the viability of using desktop 3D printing to manufacture functional space hardware for biological research. By utilizing materials like compostable filament and SLA resin, the Aeromedical FabLab has successfully flown payloads on sounding rockets that survive extreme space conditions and mil-spec vibration testing. This approach addresses the critical need for rapid hardware iteration and on-site repairs in the aerospace sector, ensuring that biological experiments remain scientifically relevant and intact during high-stakes missions.

Sebastian Feles, technical lead of the Aeromedical FabLab at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), recently presented evidence that fully 3D printed payloads can survive the rigors of space. Using standard Prusa Research desktop printers, the team has successfully flown hardware built from PLA, PETG, SLA resin, and even compostable filaments aboard sounding rockets. Feles emphasized that this "proof, not promises" approach demonstrates how additive manufacturing can replace specialized, expensive lab equipment with hardware that passes rigorous mil-spec vibration testing. This shift is essential for studying the biological impacts of microgravity and radiation, where radiation levels can reach over 1 sievert annually in deep space compared to the terrestrial baseline of 2.4 millisieverts.

The DLR’s Mapheus program, described by Feles as "rocket anarchy," utilizes 3D printing to maintain a modular and agile development cycle. Operating out of the Swedish Space Corporation’s (SSC) Esrange launch site, the team uses additive manufacturing to combat the "Kiruna effect"—the tendency for hardware to fail in harsh, sub-zero environments. Because the components are printed and modular, researchers can perform on-the-spot repairs at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius using basic tools. This flexibility is paired with a "late access" capability, allowing biological samples to be loaded into the payload just 45 minutes before liftoff, preventing the cellular degradation often seen in traditional programs where samples sit for days.

A central theme of the DLR's work is the integration of biology and engineering, ensuring that hardware evolves alongside shifting scientific requirements. Feles highlighted the MiniFix syringe-based biological fixation system and the GraviPlux experiment, which studied the simplest known animal, Trichoplax, to understand how multi-cellular organisms sense gravity. By using 3D printing, the team avoids the trap of building rigid hardware that becomes scientifically obsolete during long development lead times. This iterative capability is vital for future long-term missions to the Moon or Mars, where understanding cellular adaptation to microgravity and radiation is a prerequisite for crew safety and mission success.