Overview
- A compact ASTRA system developed by Caltech under DARPA's NOM4D program autonomously assembled truss segments and tensioned a micro‑perforated Kapton reflector in low Earth orbit, a capability the teams call the first autonomous in‑space construction.
- The hardware rode to orbit on SpaceX's Transporter‑16 mission carried by Momentus' Vigoride 7 and began operations after deployment from a roughly one‑cubic‑metre payload that launched on March 30, 2026.
- During assembly the robot used a manipulator arm, motorized part magazines and node connectors to pick composite tubes and aluminum fittings, push finished segments outward, and stretch the Kapton film as a reflector surface.
- The full planned 1.4‑meter antenna was not completed because of time limits during the flight, but project leads say the core feasibility goals were met and the mission validated the modular, automated approach.
- Teams resolved on‑orbit issues by reproducing faults on a ground twin, highlighting limits of short daily communications windows and underscoring the need for greater autonomy, fault tolerance and scaling tests before building hundred‑meter or larger orbital structures.