Compact Directly-Printed Electronics Could Make Future Spacecraft Smaller, Smarter

Engineers at NASA are looking to make the most of the limited space in most space missions by turning every available surface into functional electronics — printed directly onto the walls and other structures.

"The uniqueness of this technology is being able to print a sensor actually where you need it," explains Margaret Samuels, electronics engineer, who is working with aerospace engineer Beth Paquette to prove the concept in an actual flight. "The big benefit is that it’s a space saver. We can print on three-dimensional surfaces with traces of about 30 microns – half the width of a human hair – or smaller between components. It could provide other benefits for antennas and radio frequency applications."

The idea is simple enough: rather than having circuit boards which take up room and add weight to a mission, the electronics required for everything from crew monitoring to communication could be made part of the spacecraft's structure. To prove it, the team developed temperature and humidity sensors which have been printed directly onto the payload door and panels of the SubTEC-9 sounding rocket — successfully recording data for its entire flight to the edge of space.

Next: going to space itself. "Every part needs to work throughout the flight," notes circuit designer Jason Fleischer of the initial tests, "and a successful data return means all the circuits were up and working. I'm excited for this success as well as getting on another rocket and having more successes."

The technology behind printing the circuits also has potential for being used in space itself, rather than to create a functional payload on the ground. "I imagine you could use their printed electronics to add functionality to parts that may have been designed by AI and 3D-printed themselves," posits engineer Ryan McClelland, "or even manufactured in orbit."

More information on the effort is available on the NASA website.