Micro Space Foundry for On-Orbit Recycling and Metal Materials Production

CisLunar Industries is developing an innovative engineering solution to enable the recycling of spent upper stages, satellites, and space debris, thereby transforming otherwise dangerous material into feedstock for on-orbit manufacturing. Our recycling technology will take scavenged space debris and reprocess it into standardized metal feedstock in the form of rod, wire filament, and other useful geometries. These will be used in a variety of applications, including a metal propellant and for on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM). In the Phase I SBIR project we successfully demonstrated the feasibility of on-orbit recycling using an electromagnetic induction furnace in vacuum to produce useful materials from simulated cut debris. Our partner Nanoracks provided data for debris location, composition, and methods for capture and transformation of space debris into feedstock. The results of multiple tests, both in and out of vacuum, show that ribbon and strip geometries offer numerous processing advantages over chips. The reach goal of producing metal propellant rods and testing the thrust on a Neumann Space pulsed plasma thruster was accomplished. Hosted by the Colorado School of Mines, the CisLunar technology for propellant rod production from recycled space debris was demonstrated live with Astroscale, Nanoracks, and Neumann Space present to show how space debris can be captured, cut, recycled, and used as a spacecraft propellant. Built upon the successful Phase I CisLunar technology, Phase II will: Extend hardware to accommodate varied geometries and compositions of input materials, and form a standardized output product; Develop a reconfigurable Micro Space Foundry (MSF) testbed for near-term demonstration on-orbit (e.g. ISS); Mature the stated technology to TRL 5 through demonstration in relevant environments, including microgravity by means of a parabolic flight. CisLunar Industries is developing an innovative solution to enable the recycling of spent upper stages, satellites, and space debris, thereby transforming otherwise nuisance material into feedstock for further manufacturing. Our recycling technology takes scavenged metal and reprocess it into standardized metal rod feedstock, wire filament, and other useful materials for a variety of on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) applications. Our Phase I work culminated in the successful demonstration of an electromagnetic induction-based recycling system. In Phase II, software-controlled induction coils are configured to heat and produce an electromagnetic “push” of debris input and material in various solid and molten states through the furnace and forming process in the absence of gravity. The forming process is refined to exceed 5-year lifespan requirements by using adapted metal investment casting and continuous casting methods. The innovation will enable the processing of Aluminum on-orbit and lay the groundwork for contactless processing of refractory metals. The overarching Phase II objective is to produce a foundry test bed enabling the exploration of propellant rod, billet, and wire production using scavenged material. Phase I component and subsystem-level technologies and their combination are developed into a working test bed that can ultimately be demonstrated in microgravity and on the International Space Station. Specific objectives of Phase II include: Detailed mission trade study to derive requirements for the system to meet the needs of a range of upcoming missions. Detailed technology trade studies, including a study of forming methods, and a study of feeding methods, to narrow in on the most viable approach to be integrated into demonstration unit design. Detailed design and development of components and subsystems critical to the function of the demonstration unit, including the furnace, power supplies, the feed system. Detailed design and analysis of a fully functional orbital test bed. Fabrication of the orbital test bed. Testing and characterization of the test bed in a laboratory environment and in a zero-g test flight. Generation of a detailed mission implementation plan.
Benefits: Metal foundries supply material and enable the manufacture & assembly of orbital platforms which may be used for Maintenance & Repair and assembled on orbit in proximity of other operations requiring Installation & Upgrade or frequent close inspection. Metal propellant is produced on-orbit by CisLunar’s foundries from space debris enabling high efficiency, lower cost transportation for Delivery & Aggregation, station keeping of maintenance platforms, or orbit changes. Refueling is enabled by propellant options provided by the space foundry. The proposed technology has applicability to DoD and commercial missions for transportation, materials, and disposal of space debris. The recent announcement of Orbital Prime with a strong emphasis on debris removal and Space Sustainability demonstrates the immediate viability of the CisLunar Industries Micro Space Foundry. Astroscale, Axiom, Nanoracks, Lockheed, and others support our efforts.