With regards to house missions, even the smallest instruments need to be gentle, robust, and dependable, and one small machine is proving simply how highly effective that mixture might be. It’s known as MiniFix and it’d simply be the way forward for sustainable science in orbit.
Developed by the German Aerospace Middle (DLR), MiniFix is the primary absolutely FDM-printed system for preserving organic samples throughout house missions, like cells or tissue. It really works by injecting chemical substances (from two tiny syringes) into the pattern to stabilize it, stopping it from breaking down over time. This type of course of is crucial in house as a result of astronauts can’t do complicated lab work in house the best way they do on Earth.
MiniFix {hardware} for preserving organic samples throughout house missions. Picture courtesy of the German Aerospace Middle.
Constructed on the Desktop, Certain for Area
Constructed with desktop 3D printers and open-source electronics, MiniFix nonetheless met the calls for of spaceflight, finishing 5 suborbital missions by means of the DLR’s MAPHEUS program (quick for Supplies Physics Experiments beneath Microgravity). It did so with none structural injury, even beneath excessive situations like excessive acceleration, vibration, and the extreme warmth modifications of re-entry.
The center of the system is the dual-syringe unit. This enables it to carry out programmable chemical fixation, a technique used to protect organic samples in house, the place handbook processes will not be an possibility. The system additionally reuses the warmth generated by its small stepper motors to maintain the machine heat, which saves vitality and makes the design simpler. The system’s warmth administration is impressively environment friendly, utilizing solely 4.6 watt-hours of energy to maintain samples on the proper temperature, even throughout atmospheric reentry.
The scientific pondering behind these decisions is defined in additional element in a peer-reviewed paper the crew revealed in April 2025, titled Pioneering the Way forward for Experimental Area {Hardware}: MiniFix – a Absolutely 3D-Printed and Extremely Adaptable System for Organic Fixation in Area, within the journal Microgravity Science and Know-how.
Sebastian Feles with MAPHEUS. Picture courtesy of the German Aerospace Middle.
MiniFix made historical past as the primary piece of house {hardware} ever flown utilizing a compostable biopolymer known as GreenTEC Professional. Produced from renewable, plant-based supplies, GreenTEC Professional is stronger and extra heat-resistant than typical compostable plastics, but can nonetheless break down beneath industrial composting situations. Utilizing it in an area mission marks a significant step ahead for sustainable house instruments. In an business recognized for its complicated and high-cost supplies, MiniFix demonstrates that environmentally aware supplies can face up to the harshness of house.
This units an thrilling precedent, since future missions would possibly start to think about using extra recyclable or biodegradable parts, particularly for single-use devices or experiments.
What Makes MiniFix Particular?
In response to Sebastian Feles, who submitted the story proposal and leads the Aeromedical FabLab at DLR, MiniFix represents one thing uncommon in house tech because it’s inexpensive, scalable, and mission-ready.
Scientist and inventor Sebastian Feles. Picture courtesy of Sebastian Feles.
To make the machine, Feles’ crew used a Prusa MK3+ desktop printer and three normal filaments: PLA, PETG, and the compostable GreenTEC Professional. What’s extra, the modular syringe unit might be sterilized and reused. The syringe module is designed to be pre-assembled beneath sterile situations, conserving organic samples secure from contamination throughout launch and flight. The machine can also be outfitted with NEMA (Nationwide Electrical Producers Affiliation) 11 stepper motors for exact timing of chemical fixation and doesn’t require a cleanroom or post-processing; merely print and assemble.
As a result of MiniFix is absolutely 3D printed, it may be rapidly up to date for various experiments, equivalent to including a lightweight supply for plant exams, with out lengthy delays or costly redesigns.
MiniFix CAD file. Picture courtesy of the German Aerospace Middle.
MiniFix was printed with 0.3 mm layer top and 0.4 mm nozzle settings, following a quick, lab-style growth strategy. Roughly the scale of a giant smartphone, the machine exhibits that house {hardware} doesn’t all the time want to return from high-end, million-dollar techniques. The compact system matches into normal 2U CubeSat modules and weighs simply 880 grams when made with compostable materials. For missions that require further safety, it may be housed in a sealed stress vessel, bringing the full weight to round 2.3 kilograms.
“This type of versatile, low-cost platform might open new doorways for space-based analysis,” the crew writes. “MiniFix isn’t nearly preserving samples—it’s about making house experiments extra accessible, adaptable, and sustainable.”
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