Ryan Elliott - In Orbit Aerospace

There is a great deal of work being done in the arena of manufacturing in space. Many of the companies working to place private space stations in orbit say that manufacturing is one of the functions that can make them commercially viable. Aboard the ISS, several additive manufacturing … or 3D printing … processes have been studied.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Ryan Elliott, Co-Founder and CEO of In Orbit Aerospace, a company building the orbital infrastructure to create new and improved products in microgravity, and deliver them back to Earth.

Manufacturing in space can be beneficial in many areas, ranging from creating new pharmaceuticals and improved semiconductors to fiber optics and 3D bioprinting. In Orbit Aerospace is taking a new approach to manufacturing in space, acting as an intermediary to transport equipment and materials in space, and returning them to Earth.

“We want to be the third-party logistics provider for manufacturers who want to make these products in orbit,” Elliott said. “We provide them the transportation, the power, the data and the return back to the ground.”

In Orbit Aerospace plans to be able to take manufacturing equipment and raw materials to both crewed space stations and autonomous facilities.

Dynamic for Manufacturing in Space is Changing, Elliott Says

Manufacturing in space has been going on since the days of Skylab. But it has been mostly government funded. Now, Elliott says, the dynamic is changing, and the private sector is taking a much larger role in the sector.

In Orbit Aerospace has already signed its first customer, which Elliott was not a liberty to divulge now, but he did say that it’s a biotech firm. That mission is currently targeted for launch in October 2024 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Radio Public, and most other podcasting platforms.