Caltech robot builds a structure in space without astronauts
The robot assembled part of a truss in orbit during a six-month DARPA-funded test, though the full antenna was not finished.
For the first time, a robot has autonomously assembled part of a structure in space without astronauts. The system was developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The robot used an automated arm to take structural tubes and joints from storage dispensers and join them into repeating sections called bays, which form a truss. It spent six months in orbit trying to build a reflector antenna 1.4 meters across. Technical problems and scheduling limits kept the team from finishing the full antenna, but the robot completed an initial section.
The experiment is the third stage of DARPA's NOM4D program, which explores building large structures in space. The team had under 12 months to build and deliver the hardware to Momentus Inc., the company hosting the payload. Researchers believe the method could eventually support much larger frameworks.
Key points
- Robot assembled an initial section of a truss in orbit
- Test ran six months as part of a DARPA program
- Full 1.4-meter antenna was not completed
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