Redwire / Made In Space

[Asteroza]

Search didn't pull up a proper company thread...

https://madeinspace.us/

Made In Space works on various 3D printing/ space assembly and manufacturing in space technologies. The big things they currently do are ZBLAN optical fiber manufacturing research on ISS, and their Archinaut in-space manufacturing robot/system for assembling large space structures.

Archinaut was recently given a contract from NASA, for a demo flight on a Rocketlabs launch in 2022.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-funds-demo-of-3d-printed-spacecraft-parts-made-assembled-in-orbit

This appears to be a constrained demo of in-space manufacturing, using a truss extruder to extrude a 10m truss to support a large solar array, then using a robotic arm to flip the extruder over to build another solar array truss.



It's interesting they got the contract, rather than Tethers Unlimited's SpiderFab robot and their trusselator truss extruder.

[catdlr]

Cross post to 3-D Printing thread: 
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35889.msg1965202#msg1965202

[TrevorMonty]

Made In Space are partnering with Northrop Grumman on this project. I can see NG providing solar array technology and satellite with MIS doing printing and robotic arm. Its like to be NG that makes first commercial use of this technology.

[TrevorMonty]

Few more facts from this tweet by Andrew Rush of MIS.

5kW from Electron class smallsat, 500W/kg, scaleable to over 100kW on larger platforms.

https://twitter.com/RushSpace/status/1150766393748590593?s=09

5kW is lot power for smallsat, gives them option to drive high power radar, broadcast transmitters, high DV SEPs. With Firefly Alpha 1000kg class satellite, 25-50kW is realistic.

[TrevorMonty]

Did little more research on solar power for satellites. At present Northrop Grumman Ultraflex wings are about best at 150w/Kg.
The MIS system has over 3x mass saving and should be considerably cheaper to build especially if they can use same printer for small to large satellites. In case of larger satellites maybe case of more printers.

If you to take it a set further have the satellites final assembly done in orbit. Launch satellites to assembly orbit where they rendevous with assembly station. There they are fitted out with 3D printed solar arrays and RF dish before proceeding to final orbit. This could be under their own steam or by space tug.

[Asteroza]

This could be under their own steam...

Well with all the talk of water propellant depots for smallsats, having a tanker/assembly base in SSO servicing the various observation group satellites like the A-train is feasible, if not an outright space corral rig...

Pun Intended.

[CyndyC]

Made In Space is moving their company headquarters from Silicon Valley to Jacksonville, FL. They have had a location in Jacksonville since 2015, but will be doubling both square footage and number of job positions for the new headquarters.



https://madeinspace.us/

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/gov-desantis-plans-major-announcement-jan-17-at-made-in-space-in-jacksonville [gives a lot of the new job openings in Jax]

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/made-in-space-establishes-headquarters-in-jacksonville

[gongora]

[Space News: Feb. 12, 2020] Blue Canyon Technologies to supply bus for Made In Space’s Archinaut One

For the Archinaut One mission, BCT will assemble and functionally test X-SAT, its largest satellite bus, prior to delivering it to Made In Space. Made In Space will perform payload integration and space vehicle testing, Brian Crum, BCT spacecraft systems engineer, said by email.

[CyndyC]

[Space News: Feb. 12, 2020] Blue Canyon Technologies to supply bus for Made In Space’s Archinaut One

For the Archinaut One mission, BCT will assemble and functionally test X-SAT, its largest satellite bus, prior to delivering it to Made In Space. Made In Space will perform payload integration and space vehicle testing, Brian Crum, BCT spacecraft systems engineer, said by email.

I like this part too:

“The implications of our ability to conduct 3D printing in space are endless and we’re proud to partner with Made In Space to make this mission a reality,” George Stafford, BCT founder and CEO, said in a statement.

3D printing in space. Not inside the ISS, in outer space. Put that in a pipe and smoke it.

[CyndyC]

Made In Space CEO says manufacturing is the 'missing piece in space exploration'

Company celebrates the fifth anniversary of its zero-gravity 3D printer

Made In Space’s goal to “enable people to sustainably live and work in space” may sound lofty, but President and CEO Andrew Rush says efforts to make it happen are underway.

Rush shared Made In Space’s vision Feb. 27 at an event celebrating the fifth anniversary of the company’s zero-gravity 3D printer.

In January, Made In Space announced it was relocating its corporate headquarters to Jacksonville from Silicon Valley. In July, it received a $73 million contract to demonstrate Archinaut, the company’s autonomous robotic manufacturing and assembly platform, on a flight mission.

Made In Space was founded in 2010 in Mountain View, California. Its Jacksonville headquarters is at 8226 Philips Highway.

Space manufacturing, Rush said, is the next step toward people living and working in space. Several companies working to improve and make launch technology more accessible, like SpaceX and Blue Origin, but that won’t allow people to live and work in space sustainably.

“You need a reason to go,” Rush said. “Every frontier we’ve ever opened as a people was because there was an economic reason for us to go and live and work in that place ... That’s what we think is the missing piece in space exploration, . . . that economically-focused motivator to go and innovate and do new things.”

Space manufacturing is the answer, he said.

“This is going to be the enabler, the economic motivation that gets us off the planet,” he said. “We want to get to factories and factory workers in space, creating things that provide economic benefits to all of humanity wherever they are.”

Made In Space has been working with NASA and the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, to test and create projects. The company’s 3D printer, the Additive Manufacturing Facility, was the first commercial manufacturing service in space.

In January 2018, the first ZBLAN optical fiber was manufactured on the ISS. The fiber showed that some products are better when made in space, Rush said. When ZBLAN is manufactured in a strong gravitational environment, it’s more prone to flaws, he said.

Twenty years from now, Rush said he sees all kinds of manufacturing done in space, including satellites. That’s what the Archinaut will attempt to do. It’s scheduled to launch no later than 2022.

“We and many others working together have been able to deliver on some of the promises of the common visions of us as a company, of us as a community, of us as a people,” Rush said. “And together I really believe we are going to continue to do that.”6

-Katie Garwood Staff Writer
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/made-in-space-ceo-says-manufacturing-is-the-missing-piece-in-space-exploration

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[CyndyC]

MADE IN SPACE PIVOTS TO MANUFACTURE FACE SHIELDS
Jax Daily Record  Fri Apr 10, 2020  05:20 AM EST

The company already produced about 200 to distribute to area hospitals in Jacksonville and Mountain View, California.

by: Katie Garwood Staff Writer

Made In Space, the Jacksonville-based space manufacturing company, is using its technology to provide supplies to health care workers.

Its facilities in Jacksonville and Moffett Field, California, are using their additive manufacturing technology to use 3D printing to make face shields for area hospitals to help with the shortage health care centers are seeing nationwide.

Without proper personal protective equipment, health care workers are at a higher risk of exposure to the virus.

“In times of crisis it is important for everyone to come together and we have an obligation to support those on the front lines,” said Made In Space Chief Engineer Michael Snyder. “Our team is using every available 3D printing resource we have to produce face shields to support our local healthcare personnel.”

Made In Space manufactured more than 200 shields in the past five days. Hospitals in Jacksonville and Mountain View, California, will receive the equipment.

The design includes a 3D printed frame with an adjustable headband, which allows the clear plastic shield to snap onto the frame.

In Jacksonville, Made In Space engineers are working with area doctors to develop a rapid response ventilator adapter, which would allow a single ventilator to support multiple patients at a time.

Made In Space announced in January it would relocate its corporate headquarters to Jacksonville from Silicon Valley. In July, it received a $73 million contract to demonstrate Archinaut, the company’s autonomous robotic manufacturing and assembly platform, on a flight mission.

Made In Space was founded in 2010 in Mountain View, California. Its Jacksonville headquarters is at 8226 Philips Highway.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/made-in-space-pivots-to-manufacture-face-shields

[TrevorMonty]

I didn't hear any mention about ZBLAN. Isn't that one of their main projects as well?

Rush talked about it during last 20min. Flown few times on ISS, upto version 4 design. I think plan is to perfect design on ISS before committing to free flier production facility. They really need unmanned free flier to reduce vibration levels. Who would own free flier and how supply chain would work is anybody's guess. Maybe cargo Dragon sitting in orbit for few weeks, however they do it, going need means to return end product to earth.

One price I've seen on web is $500k per kg so $500m 1000kg, enough to pay for Dragon mission few times over.

[high road]

I didn't hear any mention about ZBLAN. Isn't that one of their main projects as well?

Rush talked about it during last 20min. Flown few times on ISS, upto version 4 design. I think plan is to perfect design on ISS before committing to free flier production facility. They really need unmanned free flier to reduce vibration levels. Who would own free flier and how supply chain would work is anybody's guess. Maybe cargo Dragon sitting in orbit for few weeks, however they do it, going need means to return end product to earth.

One price I've seen on web is $500k per kg so $500m 1000kg, enough to pay for Dragon mission few times over.

Thanks. I reached the end of the first conversation and assumed that was all of it. I had already posted before I noticed.

So with a dragon costing 160 million to launch, and assuming this takes as long as a stay on the ISS, and 3000 kg of ZBLAN can be produced each time, that's 53k per kg of material. Does that limit it (for now) to high end applications, or is that in the range of the operating costs of the signal amplifiers it would render obsolete?

Edit: what's the price of a Photon launch? If the payload can be deorbited and safely landed, without eating into the available payload too much, Photon can serve as the free flier. That limits the investments needed to slowly scale up production. For a vanilla Electron launch cost of 5.7 milion, it only needs to return 107 kg of ZBLAN to be competitive, with a max payload mass of 160 kg. That leaves a comfortable margin for printer, heat shield and parachute.

[TrevorMonty]

A 3km fiber weighs 1kg. In submarine applications it be economic as it has x5 data capacity and x10 lower losses. The lower losses are important for submarine cables as 1/10 repeaters needed and these being electronics can fail. Repair repacement ain't cheap with undersea cable.

[TrevorMonty]

MIS long term want to assemble sats in orbit, initially it is likely to be just fit large solar arrays(see Archinaut) and RF dish. I was considering how the could do this, given partnership with NGIS a MEV based platform maybe way to go, with Cygnus used to resupply it after finishing ISS cargo mission.
Have operational satellite launched to orbit where it rendezvous with MEV and have arrays and RF dish fitted. In case of smallsat maybe even fuel topup, this would allow likes of Electron to launch larger smallsats as bulk of fuel would be provided in orbit.

For NGIS resupply by Cygnus is almost free as CRS has paid for mission, they just need to reserve extra payload mass which they might've been able to sell to rideshare.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Redwire acquires Made In Space
by Jeff Foust — June 23, 2020

WASHINGTON — Made In Space, a pioneer of in-space manufacturing and assembly technologies, is being acquired by Redwire, a new venture that is rolling up a number of smaller space companies.

The companies announced the deal June 23, terms of which they did not disclose.

https://spacenews.com/redwire-acquires-made-in-space/

[Blackjax]

Redwire acquires Made In Space
by Jeff Foust — June 23, 2020

WASHINGTON — Made In Space, a pioneer of in-space manufacturing and assembly technologies, is being acquired by Redwire, a new venture that is rolling up a number of smaller space companies.

The companies announced the deal June 23, terms of which they did not disclose.

https://spacenews.com/redwire-acquires-made-in-space/

This is sounding very similar to the acquisition of Altius by Voyager.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22738.msg2031270#msg2031270

A parent company creating itself by buying up and networking together a bunch of small nimble companies with existing niche technology and talent.  Are we seeing a new industry trend here?

[Asteroza]

Redwire acquires Made In Space
by Jeff Foust — June 23, 2020

WASHINGTON — Made In Space, a pioneer of in-space manufacturing and assembly technologies, is being acquired by Redwire, a new venture that is rolling up a number of smaller space companies.

The companies announced the deal June 23, terms of which they did not disclose.

https://spacenews.com/redwire-acquires-made-in-space/

This is sounding very similar to the acquisition of Altius by Voyager.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22738.msg2031270#msg2031270

A parent company creating itself by buying up and networking together a bunch of small nimble companies with existing niche technology and talent.  Are we seeing a new industry trend here?

Some VC'S executing on the newspace moneyball premise?

http://redwire.space/

[TrevorMonty]

With MIS Archinaut solar array technology the group could build smallsats with many kws of solar power,  good selling point with no direct competition at this stage.

[high road]

Would this help them to build their own return craft for ZBLAN production that could be launched at SpaceX rideshare prices?

[edzieba]

Are we seeing a new industry trend here?

It's an industry trend being seen everywhere due to the impacts of COVID-19: if you have a cash balance and have avoided insolvency, it's a perfect time to acquire companies at fire-sale prices who are on the edge of going under.

[TrevorMonty]

Are we seeing a new industry trend here?

It's an industry trend being seen everywhere due to the impacts of COVID-19: if you have a cash balance and have avoided insolvency, it's a perfect time to acquire companies at fire-sale prices who are on the edge of going under.

I doubt MIS were in trouble they had few projects on go partially funded by NASA and also partners they were working with. Would've been good investment if they had gone public but partners would then be behold to shareholders.
.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[Asteroza]

Hrm, looks like a MIS/Redwire group company is teaming up with Momentus for demoing capture ops for robot arms?

https://spacenews.com/made-in-space-europe-and-momentus-plan-robotic-spacecraft/

[TrevorMonty]

Hrm, looks like a MIS/Redwire group company is teaming up with Momentus for demoing capture ops for robot arms?

https://spacenews.com/made-in-space-europe-and-momentus-plan-robotic-spacecraft/

This could be lead into how MIS commercially uses their Archinuat technology. Have target satellite carry packaged solar arrays and maybe boom print material. Once captured the Vigoride would use a 3D printer to create the booms for large solar arrays and use robotic arm to assemble and attach them. With handful of Vigorides they could offer this service for most orbits. This service can be used from smallsats upto large GEO sats.

Edit. Momentus will also be user as their spacetugs need large low mass solar arrays.

[Star One]

New video about the Archinaut One satellite:

[high road]

Launched by an orange rocket? That's  new 🤔

[Star One]

Launched by an orange rocket? That's  new

Launched by a now defunct model of launcher as well.

[gongora]

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/1351509988062220289

.@RedwireSpace continues M&A spree w/ purchase of satellite design firm @OakmanAerospace. Terms undisclosed. Follows purchases of #AdcoleSpace #DeepSpaceSystems @MadeInSpace @RoccorAerospace @LoadPath. Redwire's owned by private-equity firm @AEIndustrial.

[TrevorMonty]

Redwire to aquire DSS which make solar arrays for satellites.

https://redwirespace.com/2021/02/23/redwire-acquires-deployable-space-systems-dss-a-leading-supplier-of-space-mission-enabling-deployable-solar-arrays-structures-and-mechanisms/

Now MIS will have sister company to create solar arrays in space using Archinaut technology. NB MIS are partnering with NGIS for test mission.

Redwire is a group to watch, they have good collect of space companies with wide range of technologies.

[TrevorMonty]

Finally a chance to invest in Made In Space.

Redwire to go public via SPARC.

https://redwirespace.com/2021/03/25/redwire-to-become-publicly-traded-through-merger-with-genesis-park-acquisition-corp/?s=09

While LV companies seem to get all hype they are only transport companies. Its what other companies do in space that will create $T space economy. Likes of Redwire is one of those companies.

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

[high road]

I hope their financial reporting includes information about the current state of affairs of Made In Space's ZBLAN production plans. Been a long time since I heard anything about that. It's not even mentioned on the site of the parent company. I'm guessing the one product/service they offer that might kickstart that $T economy without having a long road of development and small applications ahead, is not a priority for them.

Their portfolio of companies focuses on satellite construction, including Made In Space's boom printing technology. That'll probably take the form of building relatively conventional satellites for others. Not a shortcut to a $T industry.

[su27k]

Space Crystals: Developing Laser Optics Products in Space

The Industrial Crystallization Facility (ICF) is a commercial in-space manufacturing device designed to provide proof-of-principle for diffusion-based crystallization methods to produce high-quality optical crystals in microgravity relevant for terrestrial use. ICF will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman’s CRS-15 no earlier than February 20 at 12:36 p.m. ET.

Expanding on Redwire’s space-enabled manufacturing capabilities, the ICF mission focuses on advanced materials engineering to explore diffusion-based crystallization methods that are not viable on Earth because of thermal convection.  Space-enabled manufacturing leverages microgravity to produce materials that are either completely new or enhanced compared to their counterparts on Earth. These materials could improve performance of industrial machines and systems that we use on Earth.  ICF will offer important insight into microgravity-enabled growth processes for industrial crystals, which could yield opportunities for commercial production on-orbit. 

[CyndyC]

Here is the local take on the viability of the companies and the investment. I find it most interesting that "...Redwire doesn’t need funding from the merger to grow its existing business. The funding will be used for additional strategic investments and M&A that helps add to and de-risk Redwire’s organic financial growth,” he [Genesis Park President Jonathan Baliff] said. This won't be one of those IPOs that give the distinct feeling a company is just looking for easy money because they haven't gotten anywhere with the good faith money they already had, and in fact won't with new money either.

It might be amusing if some of you geniuses here would click on the link and add a bunch of egg-heady comments to the article. Even though the article was posted last Friday, it's still #2 out of 5 under "Most Popular" when you click on the newest "News" article.

Every time I read or think about Made In Space or Redwire, I have to wonder how happy or safe those people are in Jacksonville. I haven't always lived here, but grew up here, and it's such a weird place unlike any other where I've lived. Jacksonville is unusually on the ball in some ways, particularly in local, regional, and state transportation, and our library system, but there's just so much dead space. In one way or another you can't really trust people you meet in Jacksonville with the same frequency you can in other places either. If anyone here knows any Made In Space/Redwire people personally, please keep an eye out for them.


https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/redwires-revenue-rocket-more-than-dollar1-4-billion-planned-by-2025

JAX DAILY RECORD FRIDAY, APR. 2, 2021 05:10 AM EST
Redwire's revenue rocket: More than $1.4 billion planned by 2025
The Jacksonville-based company with plans to go public says it is ‘the pick-and-shovel provider for the new space gold rush.’
by: Mark Basch Contributing Writer

Most people view the 1960s and the race to the moon as the golden age of space travel.

Executives of Redwire LLC see the 2020s as a second golden age of space, and they expect their company to be a leader in this space race.

“We are the pick-and-shovel provider for the new space gold rush,” CEO Peter Cannito told investors in a conference call last week after Redwire announced a plan to go public.

<Peter Cannito photo>

“As such, we like to say when space wins, Redwire wins,” he said.

Cannito was speaking after the company announced a merger agreement with publicly traded Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., a company with no operating businesses.

Investment firm Genesis Park formed the special purpose acquisition company last year to seek acquisition opportunities in aerospace, a few months after private equity firm AE Industrial Partners merged two companies to form Redwire in June 2020.

After acquiring seven companies in less than a year, including a Jacksonville company called Made In Space, Redwire is a Jacksonville-based company that expects to pass $1 billion in annual sales in the next five years.

It will become publicly traded by merging into Genesis Park Acquisition.

“We are already a profitable space company with a blue-chip foundation and strong economics,” Cannito said.

“We have already acquired and are integrating seven leading high-growth companies with key space infrastructure capabilities, demonstrating our ability to scale through M&A,” he said.

“As a public company, Redwire will be an even more attractive acquirer because we will have a public currency further strengthening our positioning as a forever home for founders looking to join in our tremendous growth.”

Space ventures

Made In Space, which moved its headquarters from California to Jacksonville in early 2020, is a key part of Redwire’s business with its process for manufacturing in space.

“We are the pioneers of on-orbit servicing, assembling, and manufacturing technologies,” President Andrew Rush said in the conference call.

<Andrew Rush photo>

“These technologies combine 3D printing and robotic assembly to put more capability on-orbit at lower cost,” said Rush, who was CEO of Made In Space before the acquisition.

“This is crucially important because each and every satellite that has ever been to space is constrained by launch,” he said.

“Typically, you have to engineer satellites to fit into the rocket and survive a violent ride to space, rather than optimizing them for their mission.

“But by combining large-scale 3D printing and robotic assembly, we at Redwire are able to put on-orbit more capability per dollar than the current state-of-the-art design paradigm.”

Made In Space received a $73.7 million contract from NASA in 2019 to use its manufacturing capability. NASA is expected to launch that system in 2023.

After its acquisitions, Redwire’s products and services are being used in an array of space ventures.

“In fact, the Mars Perseverance mission used our digital sun sensors to navigate and orient on its way to the Red Planet,” Cannito said.

The Perseverance landed on Mars in February.

Rush said Redwire has more than $70 million in recent contract wins.

“We were selected by NASA to provide a solar sail as large as a baseball field for a science mission that will study the sun and other celestial bodies in our solar system,” Rush said.

“In the commercial arena, we have been selected by (private space company) Momentus to provide robotic arms for their Vigoride system, which will be used to attach and detach satellites from that platform,” he said.

“More recently, we have been selected to manufacture the core avionics and terrain-relative navigation systems for a lunar lander that Firefly is building for NASA.”

Rocketing revenue

With its various projects underway, Redwire is projecting $163 million in revenue this year and told investors it expects its revenue to reach $1.4 billion in 2025.

<5-year projected revenue growth chart>

Redwire executives are confident because $1.4 billion is just a fraction of a market they project will reach $2 trillion in two decades.

“The opportunity before us is substantial,” Cannito said.

Genesis Park President Jonathan Baliff said in the conference call that Redwire doesn’t need funding from the merger to grow its existing business.

“The funding will be used for additional strategic investments and M&A that helps add to and de-risk Redwire’s organic financial growth,” he said.

Mission momentum

Genesis Park is a Houston-based investment firm with experience in aerospace businesses, Baliff said.

“We believe we are the ideal partner to assist Redwire’s successful launch and growth in the public markets,” he said.

AE Industrial Partners also is experienced with aerospace investments and “saw the potential in Redwire, nurtured it in its evolution as a private company and will continue to be a meaningful partner and shareholder in the new public Redwire,” Baliff said.

The merger is structured so that current investors in Redwire will own 55% of the merged company, Genesis Park will own 6% and public shareholders of the acquisition company will own 24%.

<NASA engineer Kate Rubins with a 3D printer made by Made In Space, now named Redwire, aboard in International Space Station photo>

The other 15% will be owned by private institutions investing another $100 million in the company.

Redwire moved its headquarters to Jacksonville in September after the Made In Space deal. However, the company’s announcements and documents filed for the Genesis Park deal last week did not say anything about headquarters operations.

Redwire’s media relations contact did not respond to voice and email messages seeking information on the headquarters.

State corporate records show Redwire Space Inc. is based at the Made In Space offices at 8226 Philips Highway.

In a memo to employees posted in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Redwire said its current management team will continue to run the company after the merger.

Redwire is an “industry disruptor” that is “accelerating humanity’s expansion into space,” Cannito said in the conference call.

“By combining our proven capability and significant flight heritage with next generation breakout capabilities, like in-space manufacturing, we are confident we will deliver on this mission.”

[gongora]

There was a recent FISO presentation on OSAM-2.  Now launching in 2023 (on SpaceX rideshare to ~500km SSO from either Cape or Vandenberg).  The presentation has good info on the satellite design and where they are in the process of building it.
http://fiso.spiritastro.net/telecon/Shestople_6-23-21/

[Asteroza]

There was a recent FISO presentation on OSAM-2.  Now launching in 2023 (on SpaceX rideshare to ~500km SSO from either Cape or Vandenberg).  The presentation has good info on the satellite design and where they are in the process of building it.
http://fiso.spiritastro.net/telecon/Shestople_6-23-21/

Wait a minute, I thought OSAM-2 had rolled solar arrays on both sides? From the looks of the presentation, they will print the second boom but not bring along the array for it? Maybe I remember wrong, but the bus initial folding array wasn't going to occlude the two roll arrays, but the current bus appears to cause the initial folding array to cover the second beam area. Maybe they wanted to avoid interference?

[TrevorMonty]

There was a recent FISO presentation on OSAM-2.  Now launching in 2023 (on SpaceX rideshare to ~500km SSO from either Cape or Vandenberg).  The presentation has good info on the satellite design and where they are in the process of building it.
http://fiso.spiritastro.net/telecon/Shestople_6-23-21/

Wait a minute, I thought OSAM-2 had rolled solar arrays on both sides? From the looks of the presentation, they will print the second boom but not bring along the array for it? Maybe I remember wrong, but the bus initial folding array wasn't going to occlude the two roll arrays, but the current bus appears to cause the initial folding array to cover the second beam area. Maybe they wanted to avoid interference?

Original plan was to deploy roll out solar blanket now it sounds like just inert material to simulate solar blanket. 3D printing boom and attaching solar blanket is main purpose of demo. Doesn't matter it they don't generate electricity.




Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

[high road]

I just looked up all of the stuff Made In Space and Redwire have been up to this year. Man, they've been busy. Producing ZBLAN, printing replacement parts for in-space use on ISS, printing high end ceramics for use on earth, printing stuff out of lunar regolith in space, the new chrystalization facility, and a superalloy casting facility (for use on earth) that is planned for later this year. That's just the MIS part.

Another Redwire company built the ROSA solar panels that were recently installed on ISS, and the technoloy will be used for DART later this year. That seems to be a good combination with Archinaut, although in that case the posts above that they're just using a simulant is a bit strange. Maybe they prefer cheaper, low risk demonstration missions where they don't have to build something expensive to use all that energy.

I hope them going public gives them enough funds to mature all of these technologies into profitable activities. Off-world economy, here we come :p

Edit: Are the documents for the SPAC merger already available? The presentation I found only mentions general numbers, not numbers split per activity.

[su27k]

Redwire completes SPAC merger

Space technology company Redwire announced Sept. 2 that it closed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), taking the company public and providing it with capital for future acquisitions.

Shareholders of Genesis Park Acquisition Corporation voted Sept. 1 to approve the merger with Redwire, with 97% of votes, representing 73% of outstanding shares, backing the deal. That vote was the final milestone to completing the deal, which formally closed Sept. 2.

The merger turns Redwire into a publicly traded company, which will start trading Sept. 3 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RDW with a pro forma enterprise valuation of $620 million.

[high road]

Hardware for another potential space based production process is launching soon

https://twitter.com/redwirespace/status/1471121174126022666?s=21

[Tywin]

Great news...

https://twitter.com/RedwireSpace/status/1539956573602201601

[su27k]

https://twitter.com/RedwireSpace/status/1552610076703309825

We have been selected by NASA to develop the Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory – Bio-crystal Optimization Xperiment (PIL-BOX) platforms, which can provide improvements in pharmaceutical research, partnering with @LillyPad for initial on-orbit testing: https://bit.ly/3PSvi9C

[Tywin]

Amazing acquisitions...

https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_b14a648de5cec86847c4fd5369e33592/redwirespace/db/856/7517/pdf/RDW+Project+Shelley+Investor+Call+Presentation+vFINAL.pdf

Does somebody know if this includes the ion propulsion of QinetiQ?

[ddspaceman]

https://twitter.com/RedwireSpace/status/1638866200645222402

[yg1968]

https://twitter.com/RedwireSpace/status/1683928770720460800

[ddspaceman]

Redwire Space
@RedwireSpace
📰 NEWS: Redwire is a strategic supplier for @blueorigin's multi-orbit space mobility platform, Blue Ring.

We will be developing Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings, Argus cameras & Low Voltage Distribution Units (LVDUs) to enable the innovative platform.
https://bit.ly/3O5FfC4
https://redwirespace.com/newsroom/redwire-selected-as-strategic-supplier-for-blue-origins-trailblazing-blue-ring-space-mobility-platform/

https://twitter.com/RedwireSpace/status/1749416696434057505

[catdlr]

Feb 12, 2024
NASA and industry partners used two 100-foot lightweight composite booms to stretch out a 4,300-square-foot (400-square-meter) prototype solar sail quadrant for the first time Jan. 30, 2024. While just one quarter of the sail was unfurled in the deployment at Redwire, the complete sail will measure 17,800 square feet when fully deployed, with the thickness less than a human hair at 2 and a half microns. The sail is made of a polymer material coated with aluminum. (Redwire Space)

[JEF_300]

Redwire are apparently now working on what they call "Orbital Drones", which seems to be an actual operational implementation of the 'very low orbit air-breathing ion engine' concept.

https://x.com/RedwireSpace/status/1777744499197759502

[Asteroza]

Redwire are apparently now working on what they call "Orbital Drones", which seems to be an actual operational implementation of the 'very low orbit air-breathing ion engine' concept.

https://x.com/RedwireSpace/status/1777744499197759502

With a dorsal fin solar array like that it practically screams dusk-dawn terminator riding SSO VLEO ABEP sat. Which would make it great fuel harvester aka PROFAC/PHARO. Note Redwire is cooperating on Skimsat with Thales, an EU VLEO development program that is also looking at ABEP electric thruster propulsion.

UPDATE

"This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!"

https://spacenews.com/redwire-announces-second-vleo-satellite-platform/

So apparently the EU side of Redwire is doing the Phantom VLEO bus in cooperation with Thales and Skimsat, while the US side is doing the "orbital drones" SabreSat VLEO bus. So basically ITAR and non-ITAR flavors.

[StraumliBlight]

Redwire Selected Among Leading Space Companies to Conduct Mars Surface-Imaging Study For NASA

Redwire is developing a commercial services concept which will utilize an imaging payload and spacecraft bus to provide high resolution imagery for science investigations, hazard assessment, change detection, landing site selection, and conducting surface asset monitoring and planning. The spacecraft bus design will draw upon Redwire’s heritage satellite bus design that has been utilized for multiple scientific missions and operated for more than 40 years in orbit without failure. Additionally, through its partnership with Blue Origin, Redwire plans to investigate the extensibility of leveraging the Blue Ring platform as an Orbital Transfer Vehicle for Redwire’s spacecraft.

The imaging payload’s design will utilize Redwire’s Argus platform, a proven vision system that has been demonstrated on orbit and has multiple upcoming missions to low Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, and the Moon.

[StraumliBlight]

Redwire wins contract for VLEO demonstration

LOS ANGELES — Redwire announced a contract June 17 to serve as prime mission integrator for a DARPA satellite with a novel propulsion system for very low Earth orbit (VLEO).

SabreSat, Redwire’s VLEO satellite for government intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, will house “air-breathing” electric propulsion systems being developed through DARPA’s Otter program.