The International Space Station (ISS) will get its first 3-D printer by the end of this month aboard an unmanned SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

According to Space.com, the resupply mission is set to take off Sept. 19 and the 3-D printer will be on board. SpaceX has experienced setbacks with its launches before, so the ISS may not be guaranteed to get the printer before Oct. rolls around.

"This means that we could go from having a part designed on the ground to printed in orbit within an hour to two from start to finish," Niki Werkheiser, NASA's 3-D print project manager, said in a press release. "The on-demand capability can revolutionize the constrained supply chain model we are limited to today and will be critical for exploration missions."

The 3-D printer will have practical uses, like replacing faulty pieces of equipment and ISS crewmembers would not have to wait for the next resupply mission. NASA said in its release that printing a new component or tool will depend on what it is and how big or intricate it is, ranging from "15 minutes to an hour."

"NASA is great at planning for component failures and contingencies; however, there's always the potential for unknown scenarios that you couldn't possibly think of ahead of time," Ken Cooper, the principal investigator at Marshall for 3-D printing, said in the release. "That's where a 3-D printer in space can pay off. While the first experiment is designed to test the 3-D printing process in microgravity, it is the first step in sustaining longer missions beyond low-Earth orbit."

The 3-D printer will help the ISS and involved space agencies save time and money.

"I remember when the tip broke off a tool during a mission," NASA astronaut TJ Creamer said in the release. "I had to wait for the next shuttle to come up to bring me a new one. Now, rather than wait for a resupply ship to bring me a new tool, in the future, I could just print it."