Solar On-orbit Welder for Assembly, Repair, and Manufacturing

NASA is requesting technologies for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing for In-Space Operations. Blueshift, LLC doing business as Outward Technologies proposes to develop an in-space welding process and robotic system for on-orbit service, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) of habitats, space telescopes, antennas, solar array reflectors, and a wide range of potential in-space structures. The proposed process and method utilizes concentrated solar energy (CSE) as the primary power source for the welding and joining of metallic and thermoplastic components in space. Benefits of the proposed innovation include a reduction in electrical power requirements compared to current electron beam and arc welding systems designed for OSAM and further power reduction compared to laser welding systems; a lightweight deployable design that minimizes launch costs; precision spot size and energy flux controlnbsp; enabling precision welds on a wide range of materials, material thicknesses, and joint configurations; and a radiation based welding process that enables welding non-conductive materials including thermoplastics and ceramics while reducing the risk of damaging sensitive electronics that may be close to the weld. The Phase I effort will focus on defining a full-scale SO-WARM system, concept of operations for the full-scale system, and associated subsystem requirements including a well-characterized welding testbed; evaluating different solar concentrator configurations based on mass, launch volume, lifetime/durability, and complexity; quantifying full-scale production rate and functional specifications; and demonstration of the solar welding process in an inert atmosphere through a closed-feedback-loop testbed with three aerospace materials including metals and non-metals.