{"dataset":{"slug":"isru-and-manufacturing","title":"ISRU & In-Space Manufacturing","description":"In-situ resource-utilisation techniques and in-space manufacturing and construction processes.","version":"1.0.0","lastGenerated":"2026-06-29","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","entityCount":9,"sources":["nasa"]},"entities":[{"id":"space_manufacturing_process:additive-manufacturing","name":"Additive Manufacturing","type":"space_manufacturing_process","domain":"science","description":"3D-printing parts and tools in orbit, layer by layer. A 3D printer has operated aboard the ISS since 2014, printing tools and spares on demand and pointing toward a future where spacecraft parts are made in space rather than launched.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/additive-manufacturing"},{"id":"space_manufacturing_process:autonomous-construction","name":"Autonomous Construction","type":"space_manufacturing_process","domain":"science","description":"Using robots to build and maintain infrastructure in space and on other worlds with little or no human presence — laying landing pads, assembling habitats, and constructing solar farms before crews arrive.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/autonomous-construction"},{"id":"space_manufacturing_process:in-space-assembly","name":"In-Space Assembly","type":"space_manufacturing_process","domain":"science","description":"Building large structures in space from parts, rather than folding a finished structure into a rocket fairing. In-space assembly would allow telescopes, antennas, and stations far larger than any launch vehicle could carry whole.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/in-space-assembly"},{"id":"isru_technique:metal-extraction","name":"Metal Extraction","type":"isru_technique","domain":"science","description":"Extracting metals — iron, nickel, and precious metals — from asteroids and from lunar and Martian regolith, to build structures in space without lifting the mass from Earth. Metal-rich M-type asteroids such as Psyche are studied as future resources.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/metal-extraction"},{"id":"space_manufacturing_process:on-orbit-servicing","name":"On-Orbit Servicing","type":"space_manufacturing_process","domain":"science","description":"Repairing, refuelling, and upgrading spacecraft in orbit instead of discarding them — extending mission life and reducing debris. Robotic servicing missions have already docked with and relocated satellites.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/on-orbit-servicing"},{"id":"isru_technique:oxygen-production","name":"Oxygen Production","type":"isru_technique","domain":"science","description":"Producing breathable oxygen and oxidiser from local materials — from the carbon dioxide of the Martian atmosphere or from oxygen-bearing lunar regolith. NASA's MOXIE experiment on the Perseverance rover demonstrated making oxygen on Mars.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/oxygen-production"},{"id":"isru_technique:propellant-production","name":"Propellant Production","type":"isru_technique","domain":"science","description":"Making rocket propellant in space — splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, or combining Martian carbon dioxide with hydrogen to make methane and oxygen — so a return vehicle can be fuelled at its destination instead of carrying all its propellant from Earth.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/propellant-production"},{"id":"isru_technique:regolith-processing","name":"Regolith Processing","type":"isru_technique","domain":"science","description":"Working the loose surface soil of the Moon and Mars — sintering or melting it into building material, extracting metals and oxygen, and using it for radiation shielding — turning the ground itself into a resource.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/regolith-processing"},{"id":"isru_technique:water-extraction","name":"Water Extraction","type":"isru_technique","domain":"science","description":"Mining and extracting water and volatiles — from the permanently-shadowed craters at the lunar poles and from water-bearing carbonaceous asteroids such as Bennu. Water is the keystone resource: it provides drinking water, breathable oxygen, radiation shielding, and rocket propellant.","entryPath":"/space-infrastructure/water-extraction"}]}