Boeing relies on 3D printing to supercharge the way satellites are powered. The company has just set a speedy pace with a 3D-printed solar array substrate that cuts production time by up to six months, a reduction of nearly 50% compared to conventional methods.
“Power sets the pace of a mission,” Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems, said in a press release. “By integrating Boeing’s additive manufacturing expertise with Spectrolab’s high-efficiency solar tech and Millennium’s high-rate production line, our team is turning production speed into a capability, helping customers field resilient constellations faster.”
The first of these innovative arrays will carry Spectrolab solar cells aboard small satellites built by Millennium Space Systems, another Boeing subsidiary. The technology is designed for scaling up, eventually powering Boeing’s larger 702-class spacecraft.
What makes this giant leap possible is the ability to print features such as harness paths and attachment points directly into the panels. This replaces dozens of individual parts, lengthy tooling, and fragile bonding steps with a single, precise structure that is faster to produce and easier to integrate.
Melissa Orme, vice president of Materials & Structures at Boeing Technology Innovation, described it: “As we scale additive manufacturing across Boeing, we’re not just taking time and cost out, we’re putting performance in. By pairing qualified materials with a common digital thread and high-rate production, we can lighten structures, craft novel designs, and repeat success across programs.”
Boeing can already boast more than 150,000 3D printed parts on its portfolio, such as more than 1,000 radio-frequency components on each Wideband Global SATCOM satellite. With the new solar array approach targeting availability in 2026, 3D printing may soon transfrom the speed and power of spaceflight.
