SpaceNetics

Robots and integrated production systems for next-generation space infrastructure

Robots that sustain construction and production in space.

We are developing robots built to work on space facilities: inspecting equipment bays, servicing surfaces, assembling structures. Arm, interfaces, tools and control have to be designed as one, then integrated and verified with mission partners.

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Mission feed · S7
Mission simulation
01Align with the interface, grasp the module
S7 switches its anchored end along a facility surface to swap tools and fasten · Mission simulation · 1.5× speed · on-screen subtitles in Chinese
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Rockets solved how to get there. The next question: once you are there, who does the work?

Building, repairing and producing in orbit all need a pair of hands that keeps working. We are developing those hands, and the system that lets them work reliably.

Mission simulation
01Step

Mission simulation · 1.5× speed · on-screen subtitles in Chinese

Representative mission

To replace one part, a robot first has to learn to walk the surface.

One end locks, the other steps. Nothing lets go until the new lock is confirmed. Only then does it move the module, swap tools and fasten, and finally put the tools back. At every step it has to know where it is, what is holding it, and whether the next move is safe.

  1. 01

    Step

    One end holds; the other steps along cooperative interfaces to the next anchor.

  2. 02

    Lock

    No force goes in until the new end is locked.

  3. 03

    Work

    Move the module, guide it in, swap tools, tighten the bolts.

  4. 04

    Close out

    Tools back in place, arm back in a safe pose, result checked.

See the surface-servicing mission

Near-term missions

Starting with three concrete jobs

In-bay mission system configuration: a compact arm working between densely packed circuit-board unitsConcept render
01

Internal inspection and operations

Equipment is packed in tight, people cannot get in, and sight lines are blocked everywhere. The robot has to read status, find the work site and operate in a cramped space. Where it mounts and what it can see have to be defined with the platform owner.

Current stage · Concept study · mission-flow simulation

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S7 arm anchored at one end to a cooperative interface on a facility surface, the other end handling a module, with tool stations and interface sites around itConcept render
02

Surface mobility and servicing

The platform is still good; one module has aged. The robot walks over on cooperative interfaces, anchors, and swaps it out. Work sites and interfaces have to be designed with the mission owner so the facility is serviceable from day one.

Current stage · Concept study · mission-flow simulation

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Dual-arm assembly configuration: two arms on a truss carrying a structural unit togetherConcept render
03

Multi-arm assembly and construction

The structure is too big for one launch, so it is put together in orbit. Several arms carry, align and join it together, without fighting each other.

Current stage · Concept study · multi-arm simulation

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The whole system

An arm alone does no work. A system does.

The robot lives on someone else’s platform. It draws that platform’s power, uses its communications and cooling, and disturbs its attitude. So arm, tools, control and mission software have to be designed and verified together with the host and the objects being handled.

Host platform provides

  • Mounting and support
  • Power and communications
  • Thermal interface
  • Attitude-disturbance coordination

SpaceNetics robotic work system

01Robot

Single-arm, in-bay and multi-arm configurations sharing joints and control modules

02Interfaces and tools

Anchor, tool and object interfaces defined separately

03Sensing and control

Relative sensing, layered skills, joint-level active compliance

04Mission software and verification

Requirements, configuration, steps and evidence kept in step

Task object and acceptance

  • Modules and their interfaces
  • Work-site layout
  • Completion criteria and acceptance

Responsibilities are agreed item by item in mission review; we do not assume every host offers the same conditions.

How the system fits together

Engineering evidence

Every step, walked through in simulation first

Reach, order of steps, support and contact force are run again and again in mission simulation first. What a simulation shows, and what it does not, is written right next to it.

Mission simulation still: S7 anchored at one end on a facility surface, the other end at a tool stationMission simulation

S7 surface relocation and fastening

Alternate anchoring on cooperative interfaces, relocation, tool and module handling.

Mission simulation still: a compact arm inspecting circuit-board units inside a bayMission simulation

In-bay inspection

Reach in confined bays, viewpoint selection and task order.

Two arms anchored on either side of a truss jointly hold a truss unit for alignment and joiningConcept render

Multi-arm truss assembly

Concept for coordinated handling, relative alignment and structural joining.

Go to Engineering

Long-term vision

The age of space voyages begins with a single bolt

In the age of sail, ships were followed by ports, shipyards and workshops. Space will follow the same path: first maintaining and extending facilities, then assembling and producing in orbit, then carrying tools and materials to more distant surfaces. Every leg of that voyage needs robots that can do the work.

  1. Robotic arm working on the surface of a large truss facility in Earth orbitConcept render
    01

    Maintain and extend facilities

    Inspection, module replacement, structural assembly and continuous extension.

  2. Concept: structural units launched in segments inside a fairing and assembled in orbit into a facility with solar arraysConcept render
    02

    In-orbit assembly and production

    Launch in segments, assemble in orbit, and move towards building satellites and payloads.

  3. An asteroid in spaceConcept render
    03

    Surface tools and material handling

    Survey and sampling, collection and transfer, deploying work infrastructure.

The later stages are long-term directions: orbital construction and surface work will be verified separately, sharing manipulation intelligence, control and systems engineering.

Explore

Orbital Works

Orbital Works is our space-engineering game. Use keyboard and mouse to drive a dual-ended seven-axis arm through tool changes, fault-finding, insertion and base switching on an orbital node.

Play in your browser About Orbital Works
Game footage

Engineering notes

The hard problems on our bench

Q1

When re-anchoring, how do you always keep one hand on?

One end stays anchored while the other moves; once the new end locks, they swap roles. The hard part is keeping support continuous throughout and applying no task load before the lock is confirmed.

Read more Q2

Why do several arms holding one beam start fighting each other?

When several arms grip one part they form a closed chain, and small position errors turn into internal force. We work on relative-motion planning and joint-level active compliance so that contact forces during joining are sensed and adjustable.

Read more Q3

“Done.” How do you prove it?

We map the object, configuration version, task steps and acceptance criteria to each other, and record for every simulation or experiment which version ran, under what conditions and with what conclusion.

Read more
Bring a taskA specific object on your platform that needs inspecting, replacing or assembling.
Propose a joint experimentA space science or engineering experiment that needs a robot.
Build test capability togetherGround mission scenes, fixtures and data capture.
Join the teamRobotics, drives and control, space systems, verification.

What on your platform needs a pair of hands?

Tell us the object, the platform and where your project stands. Together we turn it into a task description, an interface list and a verification scope both sides agree on.

Discuss your missionCareers