Boeing, clearly bored with the whole “weeks-long assembly” concept, has decided to treat satellite solar arrays like office memos: hit print and get on with it. In a move that sounds less like aerospace engineering and more like sci-fi convenience, the aerospace giant has announced it’s now 3D printing the structural panels that hold solar cells in place. Because why not?
These aren’t your typical 3D-printed plastic figurines either. These are not your average PLA or PETG but supposedly tough enough to survive launch vibrations, thermal shock, and cosmic radiation. According to Boeing, this magical leap into the printer-enabled future will chop off up to six months from the build timeline. One might wonder how long it’s been taking them to build these things if half a year is just the improvement. But hey, we’re all for progress.
