The microgravity tower at IIT Madras, the fourth largest operational facility in the world, installed on the campus in 2017
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
ExTeM, or Extraterrestrial Manufacturing, a centre at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras), found mention in the Prime Minister’s Maan Ki Baat recently. The PM said the researchers were working on technologies that could be developed and used in outer space.
To elaborate, ExTem researchers, who come from various disciplines, are working to develop technologies for future human settlement on the Moon and Mars. Their experiments include tackling challenges of construction infrastructure, 3D printing tools, and extracting materials crucial for sustainable space exploration.
Established under the Institute of Eminence scheme, ExTeM aims to advance India’s space 2.0 initiatives and broaden access to space for diverse industries, including resource extraction, infrastructure development, and pharmaceutical research.
Microgravity drop tower
The researchers are investigating the distinctive benefits of microgravity environments, which allow for the production of superior materials, such as crystal-free optical fibres with advanced properties and higher-quality diamonds, all with potential applications on Earth. Researchers are also studying the behaviour of beneficial microbes in microgravity.
The ExTeM team includes professors and research students from civil engineering, metallurgy, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, and physics working on various areas, including developing construction materials, conducting parabolic flights, creating waterless concrete using Martian soil, strategies to enhance microbial growth, growing better crystals in space using microgravity, welding, and converting lunar soil into metals and ceramics.
At the institute’s microgravity drop tower, the fourth largest operational tower in the world, experiments are done under microgravity conditions as found in outer space (artificial zero gravity), thanks to the work of Amit Kumar, an aerospace engineering professor.
Making in space for space
Institute director V. Kamakoti said as space stations are becoming important for exploratory studies, climate modelling, and enviro-studies, there is much talk about developing settlements on the Moon and Mars. It requires building technologies, which the institute has taken up as ‘Making in space for space’ project.
It involves developing advanced techniques such as 3D printing of components and in-situ resource use to produce essential components, including lunar habitats and spacecraft parts.
ExTeM’s second focus is ‘Making in space for earth’. “An example is the semiconductor crystals grown in space may have fewer defects suitable for next generation chips used in quantum computing. The same principle applies for advanced optical fibres and bioprinting for human implants like artificial hearts. On Earth, printing minute capillaries for the heart is challenging due to self-weight, which can collapse. However, in microgravity, where gravity’s effects are eliminated, printing becomes significantly more achievable,” Mr. Kamakoti explained.
Researchers will harness resources available in outer space, such as lunar regolith and Martian soil, to reduce reliance on earth-based supply chains, significantly lowering costs and payload requirements.
Sathyan Subbiah, coordinator of ExTeM, said the centre was addressing fundamental studies and technology developments. “A battery of microgravity tests is planned in platforms ranging from drop towers to parabolic flights and possibly extending to suborbital flights,” he said.
Published – January 23, 2025 01:01 pm IST
