Orbital Matter 3D-Prints First Rigid Beam in Vacuum of Space

A satellite built by the German startup Orbital Matter has 3D-printed a half-meter-long rigid beam in the vacuum of space, a feat company executives describe as a first for a free-flying spacecraft in orbit, according to TechCrunch.

What did Orbital Matter's satellite build in orbit?

The spacecraft, Replicator 2, launched this summer on a SpaceX rideshare mission carrying four of the company's printers. Each unit extrudes coils of a custom resin and cures it with ultraviolet light to form a rigid, cylindrical beam, a process the company compares to cement setting with water, TechCrunch reported. "Replicator 2 is the first proof that we can simply build the array in space, at whatever size the mission demands," said Jakub Stojek, chief executive and co-founder of Orbital Matter.

Why does printing structures in space matter for data centers?

Future spacecraft will need to grow larger to generate more power and shed more heat, particularly if they are built to house orbital data centers, according to the report. But they still must fit inside a rocket's fairing at launch. If a satellite can fabricate its own structure once in orbit, engineers can sidestep that size constraint. Today's large space structures — solar arrays and telescope mirrors — are instead folded like origami before launch and unfurled on orbit, an approach TechCrunch notes carries its own engineering risk.

What happened during the solar-array deployment test?

Two of Replicator 2's four printers were designed to build a flexible solar array. An anomaly caused one of those two printers to fail, TechCrunch reported. The second printer still produced a working boom that successfully deployed the solar array, which the outlet called an important proof of concept despite the partial failure. Orbital Matter chief technology officer Robert Ihnatisin told TechCrunch the company deliberately flew multiple printers on one satellite. "That's why we put so many printers on this single satellite. We preferred to learn in orbit and adapt the software as needed rather than waste years testing every possibility on the ground," he said.

How does this compare to NASA's earlier printing efforts?

NASA previously funded Redwire to 3D-print structural beams inside a vacuum chamber in 2023, but that hardware never flew, according to TechCrunch. Earlier 3D-printing demonstrations in microgravity were confined to the pressurized interior of the International Space Station. Orbital Matter's test marks the first time the process has been attempted by a free-flying satellite exposed to the vacuum of space, the outlet reported.

What comes next for Orbital Matter's printing program?

Orbital Matter, co-founded in 2022, is working with the European Space Agency and French-Italian manufacturer Thales Alenia Space, which collaborated on Replicator 2, according to TechCrunch. Beam length on the current system is capped by the resin a satellite carries, but company engineers believe booms up to 100 meters are feasible, TechCrunch reported. By comparison, SpaceX's Starlink V2 satellites — among the most powerful mass-produced spacecraft in orbit — carry solar arrays roughly 20 meters long.

Timeline

• 2022: Orbital Matter is co-founded.
• 2023: NASA-funded Redwire prints structural beams in a ground vacuum chamber; the hardware does not launch.
• Summer 2026: Replicator 2 launches on a SpaceX rideshare mission with four printers aboard.
• Nov. 3, 2026: Orbital Matter and TechCrunch disclose the in-orbit beam print and solar-array deployment test.