Orbital Matter and EnduroSat Target 2028 Mission to 3D Print Solar Array Supports in Orbit

In-space manufacturing startup Orbital Matter will partner with EnduroSat on a 2028 mission to deploy a 5 kW solar array using 3D-printed support structures made in orbit. The demonstration aims to validate a method for building large structures in space rather than folding them into launch vehicles.

The announcement follows Orbital Matter's second demonstration mission, Replicator 2, which proved the company could print structures in the vacuum of space for the first time. The approach replaces the need to fold bulky solar arrays into tight configurations to fit launch vehicles with printing support structures directly in orbit.

"Basically, [folding] means that you need to design and develop all the space systems, all the spacecraft, mostly for the launch, and not for operations in orbit," CEO Jakub Stojek said.

Replicator 2 launched on SpaceX's Transporter-17 rideshare in July using an EnduroSat bus. It carried four Orbital Matter printers, each equipped with liquid material that could be printed onto a spinning cylinder and hardened using a UV light. As it printed, the hardened beam pushed out to hold a silicon solar blanket.

The mission attempted its first print job in August but failed to create a fully viable structure, with gaps appearing between layers of printed material. Orbital Matter then spent two months running terrestrial print jobs before updating Replicator 2's firmware to print a second, fully bonded structure measuring 32.5 cm long. The spacecraft then partially deployed a solar array along the single boom.

The 2028 mission will attempt to support a 5 kW solar array, about 5 m in length according to CTO Robert Ihnatisin, with rigid booms manufactured in space by Orbital Matter printers. The mission specifically targets the orbital-data-center market, which depends on satellite operators generating large amounts of power in space affordably.

"Orbital data centers, and AI compute in orbit, will require hundreds of kW per satellite," EnduroSat CTO Victor Danchev said. "Building the array's structure in orbit opens up a whole new realm outside of today's deployable structures limit. This first flight is an important milestone in our partnership with Orbital Matter, which will scale to 100+ kW arrays in the next few years at a fraction of the current market USD/W."

Orbital Matter does not plan to stop at 5 kW and hopes the follow-on demonstration can convince customers it can support larger missions. While the company is focused on solar-array booms for now, its long-term plan is to transfer the technology to 3D print other large structures in space, including lunar and Martian infrastructure.

Orbital Matter is raising a round of financing to support an increased team, currently just seven people, and a new production facility to produce more printers for future customers, according to Stojek.