On January 12, 2026, a significant milestone was achieved. The retrievable scientific experimental payload for microgravity metal additive manufacturing, which was independently developed by the Institute of Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was successfully launched aboard the Zhongke Aerospace Lihong - 1 Yaoyi spacecraft. This spacecraft embarked on a mission to conduct a metal additive manufacturing experiment in the unique environment of space and successfully delivered the results on January 22.

This particular mission holds immense importance as it represents China's first retrievable scientific experiment focused on space - based metal additive manufacturing, carried out using a rocket platform. It serves as a clear indication that China's technology in the field of space - based metal additive manufacturing has made a major leap. It has transitioned from the stage of "ground - based research" to the "space engineering verification" phase. Moreover, the overall technology has reached world - class levels, putting China at the forefront of this cutting - edge field.