ThinkOrbital Gears Up for Landmark Changes in Space Manufacturing

Think of a “Death Star,” or just about any massive human-made structure that Hollywood has imagined in the cosmos. If any of them were built by conventional means — i.e., made on the ground and fitted atop a launch vehicle — chances are they would not fly. Limited payloads, high costs, and a range of other factors generally constrain size, even when the systems are modular in design, to be launched piece by piece and assembled in space like the International Space Station (ISS).