More than 100 parts for NASA's Orion capsule to be 3D printed

FILE PHOTO: A test version of the Orion crew module is shown following testing and recovery procedures with the U.S. Navy in San Diego, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - More than 100 parts for U.S. space agency NASA's deep-space capsule Orion will be made by 3D printers, using technology that experts say will eventually become key to efforts to send humans to Mars.

U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin, 3D printing specialist Stratasys, and engineering firm PADT have developed the parts using new materials that can withstand the extreme temperatures and chemical exposure of deep space missions, Stratasys said on Tuesday.