Jessica Watkins Prints Cartilage in Space

Jessica Watkins printed a piece of cartilage in microgravity on Oct. 9, 2026. She worked inside the Kibo laboratory’s Life Science Glovebox, mixing living cells with a bio‑ink. The mixture was loaded into a special cartridge for the InSPA‑Auxilium Bioprinter‑Cell Printing investigation. That study aims to produce 3D‑printed cartilage of higher quality than anything made on Earth. Researchers hope the results will improve biomanufacturing for patients with joint damage back on the ground. The same technology could also supply crew members with fresh tissue during long‑duration missions. This is the first successful cartilage bioprinting experiment performed in space.