Space travel is unpredictable. There is so much that can go wrong, and it’s impossible to plan for every possible scenario. In addition, we’re limited in how far we can go, and for how long. Now, all of that is dramatically changing. So much so that in July of this year, a 3D printer found a new home on the International Space Station (ISS).

In the past, when something aboard the ISS would break, spare parts had to be sent on resupply missions, a very expensive and time-consuming mission to say the least.

A perplexed former NASA intern, Jason Dunn, came up with a better option and founded Made in Space, which employs a cutting-edge 3D printer that now lives on the ISS. The 3D printer now allows astronauts to build new supplies while in orbit.

Dunn hopes the team’s invention will spark a new era of dramatic progress in space exploration. Production company Freethink documents the work of Made in Space in this episode from the series The New Space Race.