A compact deployment mechanism developed at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) successfully activated aboard a commercial spacecraft on February 3, 2026, demonstrating how additive manufacturing techniques can reduce both expense and design complexity for future orbital antenna systems.
The device, designated JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), extended on Proteus Space’s Mercury One satellite, with an onboard camera recording the deployment as the vehicle traveled over Antarctica in low Earth orbit.
Funding for JACC came from JPL’s internal research development resources and NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO).
Technical Design and Companion Payload
JACC represents one of two JPL experimental systems aboard the spacecraft testing technologies intended to minimize storage requirements while maintaining precise deployment capabilities for antenna arrays on future missions. The demonstration indicates that components produced through 3D printing methods can be manufactured more rapidly and economically than conventionally engineered space hardware, while reducing structural complexity.
Manufactured from titanium using additive processes, JACC consolidates multiple mechanical elements; a hinge, panel, compression spring, and two torsion springs into a unified component, utilizing three times fewer parts than comparable traditional assemblies.
The mechanism measures approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) per side and weighs slightly over 1 pound (498 grams). Its spring extends from a compressed height of just over 1 inch to roughly 6 inches (3 to 15 centimeters), with design principles based on standard satellite communication antennas.
Mercury One Mission: Dual Technology Demonstration
Mercury One also carries a second experimental payload from JPL: the Solid Underconstrained Multi-Frequency (SUM) Deployable Antenna for Earth Science. These paired systems collectively operate under the designation Prototype Actuated Nonlinear Deployables Offering Repeatable Accuracy Stowed on a Box (PANDORASBox). Both devices were conceptualized, constructed, tested, and prepared for launch by JPL within a twelve-month period using limited funding.
The spacecraft lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 28, 2025, aboard SpaceX‘s Transporter-15 flight.
Strategic Context: 3D Printing’s Transformative Role in Space Systems
NASA’s adoption of additive manufacturing fundamentally reshapes how spacecraft components are designed and deployed. For antenna systems, 3D printing delivers substantial gains: consolidated designs drastically reduce part counts, minimizing mechanical complexity and failure points while enabling deployment configurations unachievable through conventional fabrication. The JACC mechanism exemplifies this strategic shift.
Beyond NASA, the aerospace industry is rapidly advancing 3D printed antenna technologies. Australian firm Fleet Space compressed development timelines significantly, partnering with 3D Systems to achieve small-batch production of 55 RF patch antennas per run within three weeks for their Alpha constellation.
Elsewhere, Orbital Composites secured a $1.7 million U.S. Space Force contract to advance in-space antenna manufacturing, partnering with Axiom Space, Northrop Grumman, and Southwest Research Institute to deploy autonomous Space Factory modules within five years. These parallel developments signal the transition from Earth-constrained manufacturing to orbital fabrication paradigms.
3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here.
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Featured image shows JPL 3D Printed Part Springs Forward. Photo via NASA.
