NASA has concluded the critical design review of a spacecraft designed to demonstrate on-orbit refueling, manufacturing and assembly. The On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM-1) mission completed its CDR in April with the help of Maxar Technologies, NASA said Wednesday.
NASA and Maxar may now fabricate, assemble, integrate and test OSAM-1, following the CDR’s completion.
The spacecraft features a servicing payload, two robotic arms and the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) that will build a communications antenna in space. SPIDER will also use Tethers Unlimited’s MakerSat technology to manufacture a beam while in orbit.
Maxar is in contract to build both SPIDER and OSAM-1’s bus. The company is scheduled to complete and test OSAM-1 in mid-2022, before integration activities that will take place at Maryland-based Goddard Space Flight Center.
