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Orbital Matter 3D printed the first rigid beam in the vacuum of space

SpaceNovember 4, 20261 min read

A German startup, Orbital Matter, used a small satellite to 3D print a rigid plastic beam in space. It is a step toward building large structures directly in orbit.

A beam printed in space

Orbital Matter's small satellite, Replicator-2, launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission this summer. It carried four 3D printers. The printers made a half-meter long beam from a special plastic. Company leaders say this is a first for a free-flying spacecraft in orbit. Each printer pushes out resin, a liquid plastic, and ultraviolet light hardens it into a solid beam.

Key facts

The beam is half a meter (about 50 centimeters) long.
The satellite carried four printers.
The company thinks booms of 100 meters are possible.
For comparison, Starlink V2 solar arrays are 20 meters long.
A 2028 mission will test a larger printer and aim for a 5 kW solar array.

Why build in space?

Today, big structures in space like solar arrays and telescope mirrors are folded up to fit inside a rocket. Then they unfold in orbit. This is hard to engineer. Building them in space instead could avoid this problem. NASA has also funded work on this idea, including a 2023 test with Redwire that printed beams in a vacuum chamber on the ground, but that mission never launched.

Why it matters

Future spacecraft will need much more electrical power. They will also need to get rid of much more heat. This is especially true for possible orbital data centers. A rocket's fairing, the nose cover that protects a payload, has limited space. If spacecraft can build their parts in orbit, these power and heat problems may become easier to solve.

What to watch

The 2028 demonstration mission with a larger printer and a bigger satellite.
Whether the 5 kW solar array deploys successfully and leads to 100+ kW wings by 2030.
How the printer failure seen on this mission is fixed in future versions.
Whether satellite builders such as Thales Alenia adopt the PADS system.

Glossary

Orbital Matter: A German startup that builds 3D printers that make structures in space.
Replicator-2: Orbital Matter's small test satellite that printed a beam in orbit.
resin: A liquid plastic that hardens into a solid when light shines on it.
fairing: The protective nose cover on a rocket that holds a satellite during launch.
PADS: Printer-assisted deployment system, a tool that helps extend solar panels, antennas, or other parts in space.

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