Sergio Pellegrino

Stories

DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts

Running the ASTRA payload through its final weeks in orbit

A payload roughly one cubic meter in size rode a SpaceX rideshare rocket into orbit on March 30, 2026. Inside were composite struts, aluminum joints, a perforated reflective film and an armlike robot. 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 2 hours ago

Notable Quotes

"Once you get to the size limit where structures cannot be prebuilt on the ground and unfolded, you have to think about how to build them in space."

from DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts · Updated 2 hours ago

"There are always lots of little surprises."

from DARPA's NOM4D builds a truss in orbit without astronauts · Updated 2 hours ago