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The ORganics Information Gathering INstrument (ORIGIN) is a space-prototype laser desorption ionization mass spectrometer designed to analyze molecular biosignatures. Nucleobases, fundamental components of nucleic acids, have been found in carbonaceous meteorites and in returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu, which suggest their extraterrestrial origin and possibly their significance in prebiotic chemistry and the RNA world hypothesis. Therefore, future space missions should be equipped for the in situ detection of nucleobases at relevant concentrations. This study investigated six nucleobases—adenine, cytosine, 5-methylcytosine, guanine, thymine, and uracil—using the ORIGIN setup. All six are readily detected and identified, with the mass spectra showing parent ions and minimal fragmentation. Mixture analyses illustrate the instrument's quantitative potential. The detection limit for adenine was 52 fmol mm ^–2 , and we show that sensitivity can be further improved by increasing detector voltage and sampling more positions. This study demonstrates ORIGIN’s capability to detect nucleobases at trace abundance levels. The detection of nucleobases and other molecular biosignatures on other planetary objects might offer new insights into the origin of life on Earth and the possibility of discovering life beyond our planet.

Additive manufacturing has found its way into many industrial and academic areas. In this contribution, we present an additively manufactured reflectron, integrated in a space-prototype mass analyser used in laser ablation ionisation mass spectrometry. Fused deposition modelling technology was applied to produce the reflectron's ion optical system. For the insulating parts, polylactic acid filament was used as printing material, while the conductive ion optical parts were printed using polylactic acid impregnated with carbon. Measurements were conducted on a stainless steel sample (AISI 316 L, 1.4435) and NIST SRM 661 sample to validate the performance of the reflectron. We found that this system performed nominally in terms of mass resolution and detection sensitivity. This demonstrates the suitability of 3D printing for rapid prototyping in laboratory environments. The latter is of considerable importance for future space exploration missions, as the methodology allows testing of new designs time efficiently and at reduced costs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)