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.