First Twilight Rideshare Mission Carries In-Space 3D Printing Test

One small step for man, one giant step for 3D printing in free space: SpaceX launched its first Twilight rideshare mission of 2026, including an experiment testing whether a structure can be manufactured directly in space using 3D printing.

The Twilight rideshare mission lifted off on January 11, 2026, at 5:44 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, deploying 40 small payloads into a dawn–dusk sun-synchronous orbit, meaning the satellites follow the line separating day and night on Earth. After stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster successfully returned to land at Vandenberg, while satellite deployment began shortly thereafter. Twilight marks the start of a new series of dedicated small satellite rideshare missions, offering more frequent and flexible access to orbit.

3D Printing Moves Into Orbit

Among the payloads onboard was ARAQYS-D1 from Dcubed, a company developing deployable space structures and in-space manufacturing technologies. Rather than deploying a pre-built component, the ARAQYS-D1 mission aims to produce a 60-centimeter boom directly in space using additive manufacturing.

Following the launch, Dcubed confirmed that the Dcubed-1 / ARAQYS-D1 satellite had been successfully deployed and would enter a commissioning phase before on-orbit manufacturing begins. In a LinkedIn post, the company described the mission as its first in-space manufacturing demonstration, aimed at validating technologies for future space-based power generation.

“This flight is about proving a capability that matters for the future of how we generate and scale power in space, enabled by in-space manufacturing.”

The experiment is designed to address one of the long-standing constraints of spacecraft design: the need to fold, stow, and protect large structures during launch. By manufacturing the boom after deployment, Dcubed is evaluating whether future space systems could be built progressively in orbit instead of being fully defined on Earth. If successful, this approach could reduce mass and packaging constraints, while allowing spacecraft to scale beyond the size limits imposed by conventional manufacturing methods on Earth.

From Demonstration to Operational Testing

While 3D printing has previously been tested aboard the International Space Station, including bioprinting human tissue and printing metal parts during NASA’s SpaceX-33 mission, missions like ARAQYS-D1 point to a broader shift. Rather than simply demonstrating that additive manufacturing works in microgravity, this new generation of experiments is focused on repeatable, operational testing conducted directly in orbit.

Increased access to rideshare launches is helping drive that transition. On the Twilight mission, shared launch services provided by Exolaunch enabled 22 of the 40 payloads to reach orbit, highlighting how rideshare platforms are lowering barriers for experimental and small satellite missions.

What This Means for In-Space Manufacturing

Beyond the 3D printing experiment, the Twilight mission also carried Pandora, a small satellite from NASA designed to study exoplanets and their host stars. Also on board were two NASA-supported CubeSat missions, SPARCS and BlackCat, alongside commercial satellites focused on Earth observation and Internet-of-Things connectivity.

As additive manufacturing continues to mature, its role in space is becoming increasingly tangible. Rather than asking whether 3D printing can work beyond Earth, missions like Twilight are now focused on how reliably it can be deployed, scaled, and integrated into future space systems. With ARAQYS-D1, 3D printing is no longer just supporting space missions from the ground. It is beginning to manufacture directly in orbit, opening the door to a new era of orbital construction.