UofG space testing facility wins Manufacturing Technology award
Published: 27 February 2026
The world’s first dedicated system for testing the structural integrity of 3D-printed materials manufactured in space has won a prestigious national award.
The world’s first dedicated system for testing the structural integrity of 3D-printed materials manufactured in space has won a prestigious national award.
The NextSpace TestRig facility, developed by the University of Glasgow’s Dr Gilles Bailet and the Manufacturing Technology Centre, won the Manufacturing Technology award at The Engineer magazine’s tenth annual Collaborate To Innovate Awards on Thursday 26th February.
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The awards uncover and celebrate great examples of engineering collaboration – a dynamic considered critical to solving many of the challenges and problems faced by society.
NextSpace Testrig, which was custom-built with £253,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA), is designed to help support the developing field of space manufacturing.
It uses a specially-constructed vacuum chamber capable of generating temperatures between -150°C and +250°C to create space-like conditions on Earth.
The chamber enables researchers to ensure that 3D-printed polymers, ceramics and metals fabricated in orbit will be able to withstand the extreme physical strains they will face in space.
The NextSpace Testrig beat out four competing nominees from across the UK to take the top prize.
Dr Gilles Bailet of the James Watt School of Engineering with the NextSpace TestRig
Dr Bailet said: “It was an honour to be nominated for the Manufacturing Technology award alongside my partners at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and I’m delighted that we were selected to receive the prize.
“The NextSpace Testrig provides researchers from academia and industry the opportunity to ensure their designs for 3D-printed materials will be robust enough to work in space. As the UK space industry expands, we expect our facility will play a key role in putting the country at the forefront of research into in-space manufacturing.”
Read more about the awards on The Engineer’s website.
First published: 27 February 2026