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Orbital Matter’s First Beam Printed in Space
Tuesday 3rd November, 2026
Orbital Matter sent four 3D printers into orbit and used one to print a rigid, half-metre beam in the vacuum of space. The unusual in-orbit demonstration gives the startup a striking proof point for its idea of building larger spacecraft structures, such as solar arrays, directly in space.
Why it worked: It offered a verifiable first—on-orbit, vacuum 3D printing by a free-flying satellite—with ESA/Thales validation and clear megawatt-scale implications.
The lesson: Consider staging a risky, first-of-its-kind live demo in the real operating environment, with third-party validation and immediate, visual proof.
Orbital Matter
5 Sources:
Coverage over time
How this story spread across the media
| Publication | Headline | Date |
|---|---|---|
| spacenews.com | Startups seek to demonstrate 3D printing in vacuum of space - SpaceNews | Monday 14th September, 2026 |
| techcrunch.com | Orbital Matter 3D printed the first rigid beam in the vacuum of space | Tuesday 3rd November, 2026 |
| runtimewire.com | Orbital Matter printed a half-meter beam in open space and deployed a solar array | Tuesday 3rd November, 2026 |
| newspaceeconomy.ca | Orbital Matter Advances Replicator 2 Manufacturing in Orbit | New Space Economy | Wednesday 4th November, 2026 |
| 3dprintingindustry.com | Orbital Matter 3D Prints a Solar Array Boom in the Open Vacuum of Space - 3D Printing Industry | Tuesday 10th November, 2026 |