NASA will build first space wharf in history

The space agency has entered into a contract with US based company Made In Space. Together they will launch the Archinaut One spaceship, which will put together satellites right on the orbit. 

NASA has agreed to launch space wharf Archinaut One together with Made In Space. The contract is estimated at $73.3 million. 

With each year, launch vehicles are becoming more powerful, but even today, their capabilities remain fairly limited. Sending a payload to orbit is a complicated and costly matter which can affect research speed. 

NASA employees believe that this problem can be solved with 3D printing: all necessary components will be produced in space, which will allow to cut down on transportation costs. Achinaut One is a satellite printer which will be launched in 2022-2023. It will be launched from New Zealand. Once it reaches orbit, the device will start printing wings for solar panels. Their energy efficiency will be 5 times higher than that of its counterparts built on Earth.