Created: 2021-07-18
Updated: 2024-03-02
Company - Motiv Space Systems
Product/Service - XLINK
- Classification
- Miscellaneous
- Category
- Space Robotics
Robotic Arm
Hardware
In-Space Assembly
- Fields
- Moon
Mars
- Status
- Demonstrated
- First launch
- Not announced
xLink Space-Rated Modular Robotic Arm System
- It is Modular - Building block approach lets you customize a system for your needs.
- It is Scalable - 1 meter, 3 meters? 4-DOF, 7-DOF? It’s up to you.
- It is Flexible - From component solutions to whole systems, xLink™ can adapt to your needs.
- It is Industry Leading - Dexterous space robotic systems at industry leading cost and lead times.
Exploration of the Moon & Mars
- With its adaptability to a wide range of tasks, the xLink™ system can be utilized for planetary robotics applications.
- Whether configured as a mobility system for a rover traversing the lunar surface or as a robotic arm collecting samples on Mars, the xLink™ system will enable the future of planetary exploration.
Launching with OSAM-2
The xLink™ system’s first planned mission is aboard NASA’s OSAM-2 (On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing) spacecraft, formerly known as Archinaut One, by Made in Space. Once in orbit, the OSAM-2 spacecraft will utilize the xLink™ robotic arm to help position the 3D printing elements that will manufacture a 60+ foot solar array on-orbit that can generate up to five times the power of traditional solar panels on similarly sized spacecraft. The arm is also responsible for an assembly task–connecting the deployable solar arrays, in addition to positioning the printer.
COLDArm
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover
OSAM-1 (previously known as Restore-L)
OSAM-2 On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly & Manufacturing
Around 2023, a Motiv xLink robotic arm will launch onboard a spacecraft designed to do something unique: build a 3D-printed solar array while it’s orbiting the earth.
OSAM-2, formerly known as Archinaut One, is a technology demonstration mission. The mission is designed to show how additive manufacturing — more commonly known as 3D printing — can be used to build, assemble and deploy complex structures in space.