Case Study: NASA achieves 2‑month lead-time reduction and 75% cost savings on ISS life‑support hardware with Xometry

NASA Partners With Xometry to Fast-track Critical Life Support Systems on the International Space Station

NASA needed to fast-track production of critical components for an air purification unit for the International Space Station to stay on its rocket launch schedule. NASA engaged Xometry for turnkey manufacturing — including CNC machining, post‑processing, and inspection services — to deliver flight‑ready parts for the ECLSS team under an accelerated timeline.

Xometry sourced uncommon large stock and CNC‑machined two single‑body vessels with tight tolerances and sealing surfaces in a 4‑week lead time, cutting lead time by two months and lowering costs by 75%. Xometry’s work reduced what would have been a 3‑month in‑house build to one month, and kept NASA’s air purification unit on track for the NG‑15 Cygnus 2021 launch.

NASA

Jimmy Hill

Lead Mechanical Design Engineer