Orbital Matter says it printed the first rigid beam in open space

Orbital Matter has claimed that its Replicator 2 satellite has created a rigid beam of 50 centimeters directly in the vacuum of space. The company calls this achievement a first for any free-flying spacecraft in orbit around Earth. The breakthrough could eventually allow engineers to construct larger structures in orbit. However, half a meter is far from being considered a commercially viable product. Redwire, which is supported by NASA, created similar beams in 2023 in a vacuum chamber on Earth; however, this experiment never reached space, unlike Orbital Matter’s test. How UV light turns resin into a beam in vacuum Building larger structures in orbit starts with a practical challenge: how do you make a solid beam in the vacuum of space?

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