NASA's Jessica Watkins works on cartilage bioprinting in Kibo
- NASA's Jessica Watkins worked on cartilage bioprinting in Kibo's Life Science Glovebox on Oct. 9, 2026.
- The work was part of the InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter-Cell Printing investigation, which is associated with microgravity.
- Watkins combined living cell samples with bioink and filled a cartridge for 3D bioprinting of cartilage tissue.
- Results may improve cartilage biomanufacturing for patients on Earth and crews on long-duration space missions.
What happened
Jessica Watkins of NASA worked inside the Life Science Glovebox in the Kibo laboratory module on 2026-10-09.
Her work involved the InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter-Cell Printing investigation, which is associated with microgravity and has a payload of 3D bioprinting cartilage tissue.
What we know
Watkins is assigned to Expedition 75 and is affiliated with NASA.
On 2026-10-09, she worked inside the Life Science Glovebox in the Kibo laboratory module.
She combined living cell samples with a bioink.
She filled a special cartridge with the resulting cell-ink mixture.
Advanced research operations were part of the InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter-Cell Printing investigation, whose payload is 3D bioprinting cartilage tissue.
The investigation is associated with microgravity.
Results may improve the ability to biomanufacture cartilage.
They may help patients on Earth, and they may also support crew members during long-duration space missions.
Why it matters
For readers tracking the lunar industry, the work matters because it connects microgravity bioprinting to possible advances in cartilage biomanufacturing. Those advances could have medical value on Earth and could support crews during lengthy spaceflights.
Sources
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