Scientists with the University of California, Berkeley, have carried out successful tests of a next-gen microgravity 3D printer called SpaceCAL. The tests were carried out as part of the Virgin Galactic 07 mission, a crewed suborbital spaceflight that launched on Monday (June 8).
During its 140-second trial run, SpaceCAL 3D printed four items from a liquid plastic called PEGDA. These included space shuttle models and small tugboats called "Benchys," conventionally used as benchmarks (hence the name) to evaluate a printer's quality and performance.
