---
title: "LambdaVision preparing to scale 3D printed retina production in orbit"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/lambdavision-preparing-to-scale-3d-printed-retina-production-in-orbit/
date: 2026-06-12
modified: 2026-06-12
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "Connecticut-based biotechnology startup LambdaVision is preparing its tenth investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled to launch later in 2026, with the primary focus shifting from process refinement to..."
categories:
  - "Aerospace AM"
  - "AM for Space"
  - "Bioprinting"
  - "Medical AM"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LambdaVision-retina-02-640x360.jpg
word_count: 286
---

# LambdaVision preparing to scale 3D printed retina production in orbit

[Connecticut-based biotechnology startup LambdaVision](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/lambdavision/) is preparing its tenth investigation aboard the [International Space Station (ISS)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/from-sicily-to-the-stars-davide-marotta-is-taking-biomanufacturing-to-orbit/), scheduled to launch later in 2026, with the primary focus shifting from process refinement to increasing production volume of its protein-based artificial retina.

![LambdaVision preparing to scale 3D printed retina production in orbit](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LambdaVision-retina-01-340x226.jpg)

The company's implant is built from hundreds of layers of bacteriorhodopsin, a light-activated protein. On Earth, gravitational effects, including sedimentation and buoyancy, cause uneven layer formation, increasing material waste and constraining how many usable implants can be produced. 

Over nine ISS missions conducted with Space Tango — [whose partnership with LambdaVision secured more than $7.7 million in NASA funding](https://www.voxelmatters.com/lambdavision-to-launch-new-in-space-bioprinting-study-on-artificial-retinas/) — the company has developed a compact, automated production system housed inside Space Tango's CubeLab hardware aboard the station.

## From quality validation to volume production

Retinas manufactured in microgravity showed markedly improved uniformity, optical performance, and reproducibility compared to Earth-produced equivalents, along with greater stability and biocompatibility and reduced raw material consumption. ISS testing also allowed the team to refine automation, fault detection, and quality control — steps the company stated were necessary to satisfy regulatory requirements.

The upcoming mission is targeted at building on those results, aiming for higher output volumes and further process refinement. LambdaVision's technology was developed to restore sight in patients with age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa — conditions with no current cure that affect more than 200 million people worldwide.

## Beyond the ISS

With the ISS retirement on the horizon, LambdaVision had already reserved capacity on the forthcoming Starlab commercial space station to maintain continuity of in-orbit manufacturing.

“We're now thinking about how we scale in orbit and what's next as we transition from the ISS to other platforms in the future,” said Nicole Wagner, Chief Executive Officer of LambdaVision and project lead.