# German Startup Orbital Matter 3D Prints First Rigid Beam on a Free-Flying Spacecraft

*2026-11-03 23:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> Orbital Matter's Replicator 2 satellite printed a half-meter rigid beam in orbit, aiming at much larger solar arrays by 2030.

Orbital Matter, a German startup, 3D printed a half-meter-long rigid beam from a custom plastic in orbit, which executives describe as a first for a free-flying spacecraft. The Replicator 2 satellite launched this summer on a SpaceX rideshare mission with four printers aboard, built with the European Space Agency and Thales Alenia. Each printer extrudes resin coils that are cured with ultraviolet light into a cylindrical beam.

One of the four printers failed, but the boom it produced still deployed a flexible solar array. Boom length is limited by the onboard resin; engineers believe 100-meter booms are feasible, compared with roughly 20 meters for a Starlink V2 solar array. "Replicator 2 is the first proof that we can simply build the array in space, at whatever size the mission demands," CEO Jakub Stojek said.

The approach matters because future spacecraft, including orbital data centers, need larger arrays to generate power and radiate heat yet must still fit inside a rocket fairing. The company, founded in 2022 and backed by a $3 million seed round, plans a 2028 demonstration with a 5 kW array and targets 100+ kW per wing by 2030.

## Sources

- [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/03/orbital-matter-3d-printed-the-first-rigid-beam-in-the-vacuum-of-space/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2631-german-startup-orbital-matter-3d-prints-first-rigid-beam-on-a-free-flying
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2705-nemecky-startup-orbital-matter-vytiskl-na-3d-tiskarne-prvni-pevny-nosnik-na