Robot builds structure in space for the first time
Researchers at Caltech successfully demonstrated autonomous construction in orbit using a robotic system to assemble an antenna component.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have used a robot to assemble a structure in space without astronaut assistance, according to ThePrint.
The project, announced on 5 November, involved the Autonomous In-Space Tensioned Reflector Assembly (ASTRA) system. The robot was sent into low-Earth orbit on 30 March via a SpaceX Transporter-16 mission and a Momentus spacecraft.
The robotic system used a mechanical arm to pick up aluminium joints and composite tubes to build a 1.4-metre-wide reflector antenna. While the system launched with two preassembled bays, it successfully built a third bay in orbit, though a full antenna would require 11 bays.
The ASTRA system was developed through funding from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA programme manager Andrew Detor stated the agency aims to eventually build structures spanning hundreds of metres or kilometres.
Caltech professor Sergio Pellegrino, who led the project, said this is the first time a structure has been autonomously constructed in space. He noted that once structures exceed the size limits for ground-based prebuilding, they must be built in orbit.
The team faced technical difficulties that required troubleshooting from Earth during short daily communication windows. With the mission set to end in December, researchers do not expect to finish the entire antenna but believe the demonstration proves the approach is feasible.