Boulder, Colorado, Feb. 13, 2020
Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) has been selected by Made In Space, Inc. to construct two ten-meter solar arrays on the orbit.
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This first-of-its-kind in-space manufacturing technology will allow for large-scale structures to be manufactured and assembled on-orbit.
Solar Arrays to Be Built in Space
Made in Space has selected BCT to support the development of the spacecraft platform for the company’s upcoming Archinaut One mission, whose objective is to build two ten-meter solar arrays on the orbit.
The flight demonstration mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than 2022, will demonstrate how robotic manufacturing and assembly can enable entirely new structures and assemblies on orbit.
The objective of the Archinaut One mission is to construct two ten-meter solar arrays, on orbit, to power an ESPA-class satellite.
Once on orbit, Archinaut One will employ its extended structure additive manufacturing capabilities and advanced robotics to manufacture and assemble the satellite’s power system.
The Archinaut-created solar arrays will yield nearly 5 times of the power currently available to ESPA-class satellites.
“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,” said George Stafford, founder and CEO of Blue Canyon Technologies. “More and more we’re finding that our spacecraft bus capabilities are enabling increasingly innovative technologies, changing the new space frontier and how we can leverage it.”
Space as the New Untapped Market
Blue Canyon’s diverse spacecraft platforms have enabled a broad range of missions and technological advances for the New Space economy, further reducing the barriers of space entry.
BCT is currently building more than 60 spacecraft for government, commercial and academic missions.
The company has doubled in size over the past 12 months and plans to open its new 80,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in 2020.
In 2019, Made In Space was awarded a $73.7 million contract to develop Archinaut One as part of NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate.
About BCT
Blue Canyon Technologies, Inc., (BCT) a Colorado-based private company founded in 2008 to bring innovative, reliable and affordable solutions to space missions, is an experienced integrator of aerospace systems and developer of advanced aerospace products and technologies. BCT is a vertically integrated spacecraft manufacturer supporting nearly 40 unique missions with over 70 spacecraft. The company currently has more than 60 satellites in production and is developing a new 80,000-square-foot facility for high rate production.
BCT has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and many others and provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats which successfully traveled to Mars. The company has been recognized with awards including Inc Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, 2017 Colorado Companies to Watch, and the 2019 Colorado Biz Made in Colorado Emerging Manufacturer Winner.
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