Caltech/DARPA ASTRA robot performs first autonomous construction in orbit

ZeroStateReflex · x · 2026-11-12

A robot developed by Caltech and funded by DARPA has assembled part of a truss structure in orbit without astronauts — described as the first autonomous construction in space. The ASTRA system uses a robotic arm to retrieve structural tubes and joints and assemble them into framework sections. Launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in March, it has spent about six months in space validating that spacecraft could eventually build large structures autonomously.

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