Space Force Eyes Orbiting 3D Printers, Satellite Tow Trucks
Instead of lifting heavier satellites into space, new technologies might expand their abilities on orbit.
By Patrick Tucker
Technology Editor
October 7, 2020
The hardest thing about space is getting there. A 2016 estimate, using the SpaceX Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket, put the cost at $9,100 per pound. So the Pentagon is looking at ways to reduce the bill, including putting 3D printers into orbit to repair smaller satellites or even beef up their capabilities, the vice commander of the Space Force said in a recent interview.
“You know, perhaps going forward that’s something that a Space Force might want to exploit as a service procured from someone in the very near future,†Lt. Gen. Dave Thompson said Oct. 1. He cautioned that his comments were to be taken more as speculation about “what the future might look like.â€
That future might be built by companies like Redwire, which in June acquired Made in Space, which put a 3D printer aboard the International Space Station in 2014.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/10/space-force-eyes-orbiting-3d-printers-satellite-tow-trucks/169084/
