Orbital Factory II: a 3D Printer CubeSat with Self-repairing Purposes

A spacecraft in orbit might experience undesired events such as electron charges and debris impacts that can damage the solar cells. If this occurs, the Electric Power System of the CubeSat will fail to provide energy to the system, and as a result, the whole Satellite will be unable to keep operating. In 2016, the Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research of UTEP planned to develop a 1U small satellite (commonly termed CubeSat) that will 3D print a conductive trace to repair a damaged solar cell using additive manufacturing techniques. Such a CubeSat was proposed to the United Launch Alliance initiative that would award free rides to space of 1U CubeSats. The UTEP team obtained the first place to be launched to GTO in an Atlas V rocket. The concept is innovative and challenging in several senses: as of May 2018, no University-developed CubeSat has traveled to GTO and face the difficult radiation environment of Van Allen Radiation Belt, and attempting to 3D print in space is challenging due to the reduced gravity, vacuum and extreme temperatures environment. The 3D printer includes three main subsystems, the material dispenser, the gantry table mechanism and the motion controller. This paper describes the development of the 3D printed including the conductive ink material selection, the design of the printer mechanism, the assembly and integration of the components as well as prelaminar tests results