Space Technology
From Prototype to Orbit:
How Rapid Fluidics Is Enabling Next‑Generation Space Research
3D printing is reshaping space technology by making hardware lighter, faster to develop, and easier to manufacture both on Earth and in orbit
Rapid Fluidics is at the forefront of next-generation space research
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Our ongoing projects demonstrate how 3D‑printed microfluidics are moving from promising concept to proven flight hardware, helping partners de‑risk complex fluid handling in some of the harshest environments imaginable.
By combining lightweight, highly integrated designs with fast iteration and deep application expertise, the team is enabling payloads that are not only smaller and more reliable, but scientifically more ambitious—from IVF in orbit to autonomous biological experiments and space‑pharma platforms.
As demand for in‑orbit research and manufacturing grows, this blend of additive manufacturing and fluidic design experience will be a key enabler for missions that need to do more science in less space, on tighter schedules, and at lower cost.
Our Projects
IVF In Altered Gravity
Rapid Fluidics created a microfluidic disc/device, plus related test strips and chamber designs for embryo handling, gas exchange, fluid filling, and flight-ready prototype iterations to support IVF, embryo viability, and reproductive biology experiments in microgravity/partial-gravity space environments.
SpaceBorn United successfully launched their ARTIS “disc” into orbit on 21 April 2025, aboard SpaceX’s Bandwagon‑3 mission.
* Comparative system courtesy of Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH
Microfluidic Biological Experimentation System
​Rapid Fluidics supported the development of a complete microfluidic biological experimentation system intended for launch on a future SpaceX mission.
MassBalance required consultancy on system specification, mechanical design, microfluidic architecture, electronics integration, and control software development.
Project included ensuring the system operated within strict mass, volume, and spacecraft interface constraints. The system includes sample storage, control mechanisms, and analytics to monitor biological sample reproduction and survival rates.
Assembly Adaptation
For a space manufacturing company, Rapid Fluidics produced bespoke microfluidic adapters to create a more compact, lightweight and space-efficient fluidic assembly for a space pharmaceutical system.
By designing adapters compatible with the components already available to the team, we simplified their system integration and expanded compatibility between existing hardware elements, allowing their fluidic system to be assembled with significantly reduced volume and mass.
DfAM Improvement
For an international company focused on conducting scientific experiments in microgravity, Rapid Fluidics redesigned their multilayer lab-on-a-chip architecture for additive manufacturing (DfAM), replacing traditional laminate fabrication methods which were time-consuming, costly, and restrictive in geometry.
Our 3D-printed microfluidic design significantly reduced lead times by over 80%, while also lowering unit production cost and enabling greater design flexibility for biochemical formulation experiments.
Other Projects
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Developing custom hardware solutions that streamline the assembly within a microgravity experimental setup to meet the strict flight envelope constraints without requiring major redesign
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Collaborating on development of a microfluidic manifold platform featuring metal reinforcement inserts required to integrate functional components directly onto a cartridge while maintaining structural reliability for space-based experimentation.
