The New Satellite Manufacturing Era
Envision a day when satellites aren’t launched fully constructed from the ground, but rather manufactured, repaired, and even recycled in space. That day is arriving quickly, courtesy of breakthroughs in 3D printing and in-space construction. Those days of stuffing huge, heavy antennas into rocket fairings and over-designing all components to make it through launch are behind us. Engineers now celebrate the liberty of constructing large, light structures where they’re needed most—in space.
3D Printing in Space: From Earth-Based Labs to Orbit
3D printing in space is no longer science fiction. Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories has come up with a process that employs a photosensitive resin, cured by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, to print satellite antennas in orbit. William Yerazunis, a senior principal researcher at MERL, says that the resin is as thick as honey, adhesive as glue, and hardens like a rock in seconds with the sun. This enables engineers to produce big, high-gain antennas without the weight and heft of conventional designs.
MERL’s method spins a hub while extruding resin in a spiral to create a parabolic dish, which is coated with a thin layer of metal by vacuum metallization—the same method employed to provide potato chip bags with their reflective lining. The outcome antennas that are lighter, less expensive to launch, and possibly larger and more powerful than anything that can be constructed on the ground and taken to orbit.
Game-Changing Materials and Methods
The actual game-changer is from materials science. Standard resins boil away in the vacuum of space, spreading contamination to adjacent equipment. MERL’s proprietary resin, on the other hand, remains stable and cures rapidly under UV exposure, making it perfect for manufacturing in orbit. It can even survive 400°C temperatures, much hotter than most spacecraft are exposed to.
Northrop Grumman is another, incorporating additive manufacturing throughout its space systems. Andrew Thompson, who leads Northrop’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, describes how the company now prints hundreds of thousands of parts a year, ranging from prototypes to flight-capable components. Its newer metal and composite 3D printing technologies reduced lead times by as much as 90% and costs as much as 70% for some parts.
Aluminum alloys, titanium materials, and high-performance polymers like Antero PEKK and PEEK are utilized to construct everything from RF antennas to propulsion tanks. SCRAM C/C technology by Northrop employs robotic arms to deposit continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, creating weight-efficient, high-strength structures that support the harsh conditions found in space.
On-Orbit Assembly and Refurbishment: Expanding Satellite Lifetimes
Satellite construction in space isn’t all about new building—it’s also about extending the life of assets already built. The European Space Agency is investigating on-orbit manufacturing, assembly, recycling, and refurbishment with its OMAR program. With current technology, in-orbit refurbishment bases might upgrade or repurpose satellites, swap out worn-out components, and refuel spacecraft, lessening the demand for expensive new launches and assisting in space debris mitigation.
Thales Alenia Space estimates that up to 95% of a spacecraft could eventually be assembled in orbit. Airbus has even designed concepts for autonomous on-orbit servicing stations capable of manufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling satellites. This points to a future where satellites are modular, upgradeable, and far more sustainable.
Economic and Strategic Impacts
The economic consequences are enormous. The cost of launch is directly related to payload weight and volume. Building large structures such as antennas or solar arrays in space can decrease launch mass by as much as 70% and decrease the volume needed by a factor of 10, states Orbital Matter, a Polish-German company that is leading the way with in-space 3D printing. It can save millions of dollars per launch, even for a 5% decrease in payload weight.
This transition is also transforming global strategy. Lighter, smaller satellites with greater capabilities are now affordable for more nations and organizations, enhancing autonomy, security, and resilience. Geostationary SmallSats with 3D-printed antennas and RF components are enabling affordable sovereign satellite communications for countries that used to have to rent capacity.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Of course, in-space satellite manufacturing comes with hurdles. Quality control, material certification, and printer reliability in the harsh space environment remain major challenges. Andrew Thompson notes that quality assurance alone can account for nearly half the cost of a 3D-printed part, and developing materials suitable for spaceflight is slow and expensive.
Legal and regulatory issues also come up. Who is liable when an in-orbit manufacturing accident leaves space debris? How do you establish safety and reliability in infrastructure constructed far from Earth’s supervision?
In spite of these obstacles, the direction is evident. With continued investment, cooperation between startups and traditional companies, and encouragement from main space agencies, in-space manufacturing is no longer a future fantasy. It’s real now, making way for satellites and space infrastructure that are larger, lighter, more flexible, and more sustainable than ever.
