A Caltech robot completes the first automated structural assembly in orbit

A Caltech payload funded through DARPA’s NOM4D programme assembled a truss and reflective mesh in orbit without astronaut assistance.

By TomorrowNews · AI-assisted briefing
Source published 05 Nov 2026 · Briefing published 7 November 2026

Conceptual gantry robot assembling a lightweight truss and reflective mesh above Earth — AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of the event. Conceptual editorial rendering, not documentary evidence. · TomorrowNews / AI-generated illustration

A three-axis gantry robot joined composite truss members with custom connectors while deploying reflective mesh. DARPA described the result as the first automated assembly of a structure in space and a proof of concept for large antennas.

The payload launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission in March and operated from a Momentus Vigoride platform. DARPA says a separate University of Illinois experiment will later test composite-material processing aboard the International Space Station.

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This is an original summary, not a republication of the full report.

Read the original at DARPA / Caltech ↗

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