Andrew Detor

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DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts

Overseeing the program's orbital demonstrations

A payload about one cubic meter in size rode a SpaceX rideshare rocket into orbit on March 30, 2026, carrying composite struts, aluminum joints, a perforated reflective film and a robot arm. Over the following months the robot picked up those parts and built a section of a truss in open space, with no astronaut involved.

Updated 6 days ago

Notable Quotes

"You can think of the Caltech approach as similar to Tinkertoys or K'nex construction toys: individual truss members are joined at nodes, one section at a time, to create a larger structure."

from DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts · Updated 6 days ago

"We went from the idea of an on-orbit demo to launching a working prototype into space in 15 months."

from DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts · Updated 6 days ago