Orbital Matter Prints Beam in Orbit
German startup Orbital Matter's Replicator-2 satellite 3D printed a half-meter rigid beam in space after launching on a SpaceX rideshare mission in summer 2026.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Space
In summer 2026, German startup Orbital Matter's Replicator-2 satellite, launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission, 3D printed a half-meter rigid beam in orbit from a custom plastic material. One of its four onboard printers suffered an anomaly, but a flexible solar array boom was still successfully unfurled.
Why it matters
Future spacecraft will need more electrical power and heat dissipation capacity, and building structures in orbit could ease those constraints. The demonstration is an early test of whether in-space construction is practical.
Each printer extrudes resin coils cured by ultraviolet light into a rigid cylindrical beam, with one of four printers failing due to an anomaly. The company's engineers believe 100-meter booms are feasible, though the stub does not report how the half-meter demonstration performed structurally.
The players
Orbital Matter
A German startup co-founded in 2022 by Robert Ihnatisin and Jakub Stojek that has raised a $3 million seed round and is developing in-orbit 3D printing for spacecraft structures.
European Space Agency
The intergovernmental space agency of Europe, which is partnering with Orbital Matter on this work.
Thales Alenia
A European aerospace manufacturer that is partnering with Orbital Matter on the project.
The details
Each of the satellite's printers extrudes coils of resin that are cured by ultraviolet light to form the rigid beam, while two printers were designed to deploy a flexible solar array. The deployed boom successfully unfurled a solar array even though one printer experienced an anomaly.
Timeline
Summer 2026: Replicator-2 launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission.
2028: A larger demonstration mission is scheduled, targeting a solar array generating 5 kW.
Deeper Dive
The demonstration rode along on a SpaceX rideshare mission, extending commercial rideshare launches from carrying conventional payloads to hosting in-orbit manufacturing experiments. It is positioned as a step toward larger structures such as the 20-meter Starlink V2 solar arrays the company cites as a benchmark.
If in-orbit construction proves practical, spacecraft could be built with larger solar arrays and better heat dissipation than today's launch-constrained designs allow. The near-term effect is a proof of concept rather than a change in services available to users.
The takeaway
The demonstration shows that structures can be printed in orbit, a capability that could reshape how future spacecraft are designed. Its progress will be clearer once the 2028 mission reports results.
What happens next
A larger demonstration mission is scheduled for launch in 2028, with the company hoping it will deploy a solar array generating 5 kW of power.
Further reading
Explore more Space coverage for context on in-orbit manufacturing and satellite technology.
