Polymer and water lenses shaped by surface tension on ISS, preprint reports
What was demonstrated
A preprint (arXiv:2510.06474, posted 7 October 2025) reports two Fluidic Shaping experiments on the International Space Station during the Ax-1 mission. Fluidic Shaping uses surface tension in microgravity to form optical components from liquid. In the first, centimetre-scale polymer lenses were formed and cured with UV light; the abstract reports sub-nanometric surface smoothness. In the second, a 172 mm diameter water lens was deployed, and image tests showed basic optical function. The abstract also reports that some polymer lenses showed unexpected thermo-chemical deformation.
Why it matters
Fluidic Shaping forms optical surfaces from liquid under surface tension rather than by machining or moulding. If the reported results hold up under peer review and full data, the approach could allow larger optical components to be made in orbit rather than launched. The authors conclude that polymerisation and liquid handling need refinement before in-space optical manufacturing is practical.
Caveats
- The result is an arXiv preprint (v1, 7 October 2025). The arXiv record checked on 2026-10-22 lists no journal reference, so it is not known to have been peer reviewed.
- Some polymer lenses showed unexpected thermo-chemical deformation, and the abstract says polymerisation behaves differently in microgravity.
- The 172 mm water lens shows basic optical function and supports the scalability of the method. The abstract does not report flight qualification or durability.
- This record uses the abstract only. Surface-figure, optical-performance and repeatability data are in the full paper, which was not read for this record.
Technology profiles
Sources
- preprint
In-space manufacturing of optical lenses: Fluidic Shaping aboard the International Space Station
Omer Luria, Mor Elgarisi, Eytan Stibbe et al.. arXiv, 7 Oct 2025.
Last reviewed 22 Oct 2026.