GoKawiilOrbital Matter 3D prints rigid beam aboard satellite in orbit
German startup Orbital Matter says its Replicator-2 satellite used an onboard 3D printer to extrude and UV-cure a half-meter rigid plastic beam while in orbit, a process the company likens to mixing cement and water. The satellite, launched on a SpaceX rideshare this summer, carried four such printers, though one of two units meant to deploy a flexible solar array failed due to an anomaly.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
CEO Jakub Stojek frames the demonstration as proof that spacecraft components could be built on-orbit at whatever scale a mission requires, rather than being folded to fit a rocket fairing and then deployed. This approach could ease engineering constraints on future power-hungry and heat-dissipating spacecraft, including potential orbital data centers, though the technology remains early-stage given the partial failure on this mission.
- Orbital Matter's Replicator-2 satellite 3D printed a half-meter rigid beam in orbit using UV-cured resin.
- The company is collaborating with the European Space Agency and Thales Alenia on the technology.
- One of two printers meant to deploy a flexible solar array failed due to an anomaly, showing the approach is still maturing.
Source: techcrunch.com — Tim Fernholz, 2026-11-03
Published there as: “Orbital Matter 3D printed the first rigid beam in the vacuum of space”
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