Caltech’s DARPA-funded robot assembled one antenna bay, testing a way to build larger structures after launch.
Caltech’s DARPA-funded ASTRA robot assembled one bay of a planned reflector antenna in space without astronaut help. There’s still an antenna to finish. Its developers say the approach can scale to larger projects.
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Caltech’s ASTRA robot has assembled part of a planned reflector antenna in space without astronaut assistance, according to ScienceAlert. It completed one bay, a section of the antenna’s framework. Even orbital construction has a punch list. Source
ASTRA stands for Autonomous In-Space Tensioned Reflector Assembly. Developed by Caltech researchers with funding from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), it joined composite fiber tubes and aluminum joints step by step. Its developers describe the result as proof of the approach’s feasibility, ScienceAlert reports. Source
ASTRA assembles building blocks packed for transportation, connecting each finished section to the existing structure before starting another. This is assembly of supplied components—not a tiny orbital factory churning out its own aluminum. Source
New Scientist describes the astronaut-free robotic assembly as a first-of-its-kind achievement. ScienceAlert’s report does not specify ground control’s role or whether the antenna functions. An astronaut-free build isn’t necessarily a human-free one. Source Source
New Scientist contrasts the approach with large structures assembled with astronaut help or launched already built but folded, ready to unfold in space. Source
“Once you get to the size limit where structures cannot be prebuilt on the ground and unfolded, you have to think about how to build them in space,” ASTRA team leader Sergio Pellegrino said in a Caltech announcement quoted by ScienceAlert. Source
The Caltech researchers say the techniques can scale to bigger projects, ScienceAlert reports. Pellegrino points to potential uses in astronomy, communications and very large solar arrays for space-based power. New Scientist also raises the prospect of assembling space stations and data centres in orbit. Source Source
@newscientistAutonomous in-orbit manufacturing will be key to any future space economy, and researchers have taken the first step with a robot building a radio antenna without astronaut assistance https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598576-a-robot-has-assembled-a-structure-in-space-for-the-first-time/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1794510183
@ScienceAlertA robot just built something in space with no astronauts helping, and it could change how we build beyond Earth. Learn more: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-robot-just-built-a-structure-in-space-all-on-its-own-for-the-first-time-ever
@astrophileszBREAKING🚨: A Robot Just Built a Structure in Space All on Its Own – For The First Time Ever@newscientistAutonomous in-orbit manufacturing will be key to any future space economy, and researchers have taken the first step with a robot building a radio antenna without astronaut assistance https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598576-a-robot-has-assembled-a-structure-in-space-for-the-first-time/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1794510183@ScienceAlertA robot just built something in space with no astronauts helping, and it could change how we build beyond Earth. Learn more: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-robot-just-built-a-structure-in-space-all-on-its-own-for-the-first-time-ever@astrophileszBREAKING🚨: A Robot Just Built a Structure in Space All on Its Own – For The First Time Ever@newscientistAutonomous in-orbit manufacturing will be key to any future space economy, and researchers have taken the first step with a robot building a radio antenna without astronaut assistance https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598576-a-robot-has-assembled-a-structure-in-space-for-the-first-time/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1794510183@ScienceAlertA robot just built something in space with no astronauts helping, and it could change how we build beyond Earth. Learn more: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-robot-just-built-a-structure-in-space-all-on-its-own-for-the-first-time-ever@astrophileszBREAKING🚨: A Robot Just Built a Structure in Space All on Its Own – For The First Time Ever@newscientistAutonomous in-orbit manufacturing will be key to any future space economy, and researchers have taken the first step with a robot building a radio antenna without astronaut assistance https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598576-a-robot-has-assembled-a-structure-in-space-for-the-first-time/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1794510183@ScienceAlertA robot just built something in space with no astronauts helping, and it could change how we build beyond Earth. Learn more: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-robot-just-built-a-structure-in-space-all-on-its-own-for-the-first-time-ever@astrophileszBREAKING🚨: A Robot Just Built a Structure in Space All on Its Own – For The First Time Ever
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