When we need a space station upgraded, or a satellite repaired or a Moon outpost built, it’s up to astronauts to get the job done. Or worse, launch it into space from rockets on Earth.
Now, a private company is planning to change that letting a 3D-printing bot manufacture and build whatever hardware we need in space.
The Archinaut, depicted assembling a satellite array larger than itself - Made in Space
THE ARCHINAUT, DEPICTED ASSEMBLING A SATELLITE ARRAY LARGER THAN ITSELF - MADE IN SPACE
Astronauts need a suit to survive in the vacuum of space, but that’s not all. They also need to rest and take an occasional pitstop to resupply their oxygen. Made in Space instead has now shown off a device that can 3D print parts in a thermal vacuum, similar to what it would experience in space.
Part of the company’s Archinaut program, the development is another step in their efforts to eventually launch a 3D printer into space, once that has robot arms. This way the bot could not only custom manufacture the parts it needs, but also place them itself as and when required.
The large difference here is that Made in Space’s 3D printer, called the Extended Structure Additive Manufacturing Machine, has a thermally insulated case, similar to the parts that protect the electronics on a satellite. “Our tactic has been, let's control the environment that's inside the printer, because we can't do anything about what's outside,” Archinaut project manager Eric Joyce told Wired.
The advantages are enormous, as the Archinaut could build hardware much larger than would be possible on Earth. If you build a giant satellite on the ground, you need to have a rocket capable of lifting it, and the money to spend on the fuel. But if you’re manufacturing plant is already in space, you can build a satellite or telescope of massive proportions. And without gravity, there’s no fear of 3D printed parts not being able to take the structure’s weight.
NASA has already recognised the potential here, with Made in Space operating under a two-year $20 million contract with the space agency. The company has already been experimenting with 3D printing on board the space station, and its next task will be to add the arms to the printer.