A team of Virginia Tech undergraduates clinched second place honors at the first annual COSMIC Capstone Challenge (C3) Showcase. Twenty-three groups of college students from around the country showcased their presentations in the inaugural competition to develop concepts in the area of In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM).

The mission: students were charged with developing hypothetical payloads which could demonstrate a chain of three or more operations providing on-orbit, autonomous ISAM capabilities.

Virginia Tech’s Project Daedalus

By demonstrating the ability to fabricate and assemble structures in space, future space missions will be able to manufacture large structures without the restrictions launch puts on modern space vehicles.

As part of their year-long capstone design project, Virginia Tech’s Project Daedalus designed and developed a concept for 3D printing metal structures in space.  Using a novel additive manufacturing method called Directed Acoustic Energy Deposition (DAED), the team proposed a process to fabricate aluminum beams in low Earth orbit, and subsequently assemble them using a laser-based weld system. 

Project Daedalus’ project goals and impact on future space missions included:

  • Successfully print 3D printed cylindrical beams and prove the concept of assembly in space 

  •  Structures optimized for space rather than launch 

  •  Supports new or improved types of spacecraft 

  • Enables on-demand part production 

  • Allows for more efficient repair of existing satellites 

  • Spacecraft components can be replaced 

  • Increases the satellite lifespan 

  • Prove new technologies in space

Over the three-day competition, presentations were made in-person and virtually spanning the El Segundo, California campus of The Aerospace Corporation and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

At the competition, teams had 30 minutes to present their concepts, conclusions, and answer questions from leading engineers serving as judges, including experts from NASA, the Air Force, FFRDCs, and industry corporations.

Randy Spicer, staff engineer at Northrop Grumman and Virginia Tech alum, served as an industry advisor to the team throughout the year. “This team developed a concept and matured it substantially over the course of two semesters to deliver an overall concept design that was feasible and delivered on C3’s objectives,” said Spicer. “The team was passionate about their project, working continuously to incorporate feedback and perfect their design products. These students made the most of senior design and are well prepared to start their careers in the space industry.” 

Project Daedalus was advised by professor Kevin Shinpaugh, and was formed as a part of the senior capstone design curriculum in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech.