NASA JPL 3D Printed Spring Successfully Deploys on Spacecraft — Shows AM Future for Space Hardware

3D Printing Goes to Space

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has achieved another milestone for additive manufacturing in space. A 3D printed spring mechanism successfully deployed on Proteus Space's Mercury One spacecraft on February 3, 2026, while orbiting above the Pacific Ocean.

Called the JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), this jack-in-the-box-like spring is designed to deploy futuristic space antennas from a packed configuration. An onboard camera captured the moment the spring popped out of its container — a moment that could change how we build space hardware.

One Part, Multiple Functions

What makes JACC remarkable is its simplicity. Printed entirely from titanium, the mechanism combines three functions into a single 3D printed part: a hinge, a panel, a compression spring, and two torsion springs all in one piece.

JACC's success demonstrates that 3D-printed mechanisms can be built faster, cheaper, and with less complexity than traditionally fabricated space hardware, NASA noted in their announcement.

Weighing just over 1 pound (498 grams) and measuring about 4 inches (10 cm) on each side, the spring extends from a packed height of just over 1 inch to about 6 inches when deployed. It's modeled after communication antennas commonly used on satellites.

Built in Under a Year

JACC was conceived, built, tested, and delivered for flight by JPL in less than one year on minimal budgets — a remarkably fast timeline for space hardware development. The project was supported by JPL internal research development funds and NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO).

JACC is one of two JPL payloads on Mercury One demonstrating new technologies designed to take up reduced volume while precisely deploying antennas on future orbiters. The second is the Solid Underconstrained Multi-Frequency (SUM) Deployable Antenna for Earth Science.

Together, the payloads go by the name PANDORASBox (Prototype Actuated Nonlinear Deployables Offering Repeatable Accuracy Stowed on a Box).

The Future of Space Manufacturing

Mercury One launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on November 28, 2025, as part of SpaceX's Transporter-15 mission. The successful deployment of JACC proves that additive manufacturing can produce functional space hardware that performs reliably in the harsh environment of orbit.

With 3D printing, JPL managed to use three times fewer parts than similar traditionally fabricated structures — a testament to the design freedom that additive manufacturing provides.