The first space product of the history may be a 100 times high-performance optical fiber from Earth

The plan to manufacture ultra-high performance optical fiber at the International Space Station is in progress. The first ever "maid in space" product is likely to become an optical fiber.

Optical fiber made in orbit should be better than the terrestrial sort - Manufacturing in space
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/09/08/optical-fibre-made-in-orbit-should-be-better-than-the-terrestrial-sort

A plan to manufacture high-performance products in the universe that can not be manufactured on the earth has existed since the 1970s. Many are making grade-free environments to make new alloys, but do not compromise on cost, yet there are no products that made space production.

Meanwhile, the two companies " Made in Space " and "Fiber Optic Manufacturing in Space (FOMS)" are in the process of producing high-performance optical fibers in outer space.

Optical fibers made of glass fibers enable high-speed communication because the light used for communication is hard to attenuate. However, it is not that the attenuation of light does not occur at all, and the development of glass materials is progressing toward the realization of optical fibers with less attenuation. As the material for high-performance optical fiber which does not attenuate light most among the most developed, glass of "ZBLAN" of zirconium · barium · lanthanum · aluminum · sodium compound is being developed. However, ZBLAN fibers are fragile, and it is difficult to manufacture ZBLAN optical fibers with a length exceeding 1 km on the earth affected by gravity.

Therefore, it is Made in Space and FOMS that try to manufacture ZBLAN optical fiber in outer space not affected by gravity. Both companies have already developed a compact device capable of manufacturing ZBLAN optical fiber in outer space. This device seems to have a structure resembling what is called an extrusion type 3D printer, changing to an elongated shape by pulling the melted ZBLAN, and coating the glass for protection to make an optical fiber line.

SpaceX - 13 Payload Overview: Made In Space - YouTube


Made in Space has completed installation of ZBLAN optical fiber manufacturing equipment in the International Space Station, and it will be tested soon. Also, FOMS plans to deliver manufacturing equipment to the International Space Station in the latter half of 2018.

It is said that ZBLAN optical fiber has 100 times the performance of existing optical fiber, and if it can be stably manufactured in the universe, it will be expected to realize further high speed communication.