jsc2023e052854 (9/6/2023) --- Dr. Aaron Rodgers unboxes the BFF-Meniscus-2 investigation after its return from the International Space Station. The first human knee meniscus has been successfully 3D bioprinted in orbit using the BioFabrication Facility. This is a significant step towards developing solutions to promote recovery from musculoskeletal injuries. Image courtesy of Redwire.

jsc2023e052853 (9/6/2023) --- Dr. Aaron Rodgers unboxes the BFF-Meniscus-2 investigation after its return from the International Space Station. The first human knee meniscus has been successfully 3D bioprinted in orbit using the BioFabrication Facility. This is a significant step towards developing solutions to promote recovery from musculoskeletal injuries. Image courtesy of Redwire.

jsc2023e052856 (9/6/2023) --- The first human knee meniscus has been successfully 3D bioprinted in orbit using the International Space Station’s BioFabrication Facility. This is a significant step towards developing solutions to promote recovery from musculoskeletal injuries. Image courtesy of Redwire.

jsc2022e072969 (8/12/2022) --- The BioFabrication Facility (BFF) and the ADvanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP) together comprise a system capable of manufacturing human tissue in the microgravity environment of space. BFF is returning to the International Space Station after coming back to Earth for upgrades in 2020. The first investigation to be conducted in the upgraded facility is BioFabrication Facility Assembled Next-gen Development of Collagenous Allograft Meniscal Prosthetics aboard the International Space Station (BFF-Meniscus-2). The study attempts to 3D print a meniscus, also known as knee cartilage tissue, using only bioinks and cells. Image courtesy of Redwire.