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

An in-space construction first could be an enabler for the space data centers of the future. A satellite built by the German startup Orbital Matter 3D-printed a half-meter long beam out of a custom plastic material, in what executives called a first for a free-flying spacecraft in orbit, and a step toward constructing large structures in space. The company’s small satellite, Replicator 2, was launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission this summer, with four of the company’s 3D printers onboard. Each printer can create a rigid, cylindrical beam by extruding coils of resin that are cured by an ultraviolet light, which the company analogizes to cement and water. This technology matters because future spacecraft will need to be larger in order to generate more electrical power and radiate a more heat into the vacuum of space, particularly if they’re going to serve as orbital data centers.

But they’ll still need to fit into the tight confines of the fairing on top of the rocket that carries them into orbit. If spacecraft are able to construct their own structures in orbit, the power and heat-dissipation challenges may get a lot easier to solve. “Replicator 2 is the first proof that we can simply build the array in space, at whatever size the mission demands,” said Jakub Stojek, CEO and co-founder of