Mitsubishi wants to let the sun work for you

Small satellites could soon function as mini-factories, producing antennas in space. Source: Pixabay

Mitsubishi Electric is currently working on a technology that will produce satellite antennas in space, using the sun as an involuntary source employees

That comes from one press release (via Golem) of the company. Here we also learn how the production process should work and why production in space makes perfect sense.

Both The factory are 3D printers that produce satellite antennas as soon as they are in orbit. This is where the already mentioned sun comes into play: For the production of the antennas, the company wants to use a special liquid resin that hardens due to the UV radiation of the sun.

The small satellite uses small amounts of energy and a bit of resin to create an antenna that is said to be larger and more efficient than conventional models. And that also leads us to why.

That is why production in zero gravity makes sense

If a company wants to send a satellite and its antenna into space, the entire construction must be so stable that it can withstand the forces of the launch process and not die immediately. In order to achieve this, previous antennas have been built much more stably than would be necessary for the pure function.

However, this means that they are heavier and cost more to produce. They also take up space in the rocket. According to Mitsubishi, antennas that are printed in space do not have these problems. The small satellites with an integrated 3D printer are lighter and space-saving, which means that the company can transport them into space more efficiently and therefore more cheaply.

First tests were successful

Mitsubishi has already tested the whole process and, according to its own statements, with great success. In the following video you can see how the new production method should work: