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Made in Space, Inc.

Created: session 32, 2026-04-06 | Data snapshot: 2026-04-04

Acquired by Redwire Corporation in 2020. Projects in TechPort continue to list "Made in Space, Inc." as lead organization.

Portfolio Summary

Metric Value
Total TechPort projects 27
Active 0
Completed 24
Canceled 2
Programs FO (5), SBIR/STTR (15), TDM (2), NIAC (1)
TRL range 1→2 (NIAC) to 4→9 (FO)

Made in Space is the preeminent TechPort example of a company navigating the full space technology pipeline: FO parabolic testing → SBIR hardware development → TDM large-scale demonstration → commercial ISS deployment. The company pioneered in-space additive manufacturing and branched into materials science (glass, semiconductors, crystals) and in-space assembly (Archinaut).

Core Technology Thread 1: In-Space Additive Manufacturing (AMF)

This is the clearest multi-step TRL pipeline in Made in Space's TechPort record.

FO entry point

  • 91394 — Printing the Space Future Testing | FO | TRL 4→9 | Completed 2018
  • Parabolic and suborbital FDM 3D printing validation
  • TRL 9 claims reflects operational-level flight demonstration
  • No outcome field set — TRL 9 with zero TechPort infusion documentation

SBIR hardware development

  • 9582 — ISS AMF Phase I | SBIR | TRL 5→6 | Completed 2012
  • 102816 — ISS AMF (bridge) | SBIR | TRL 0→0 | Completed 2015
  • 12902 — ISS AMF Phase II/III | SBIR | TRL 6→8 | Completed 2016
  • Outcomes: Advanced_From (twice, from FO + earlier SBIR)
  • Description: hardware delivery and ISS integration → TRL 8

ISS AMF pipeline: FO (TRL 9 concept validation) → SBIR Phase I (TRL 6) → SBIR Phase II/III (TRL 8, hardware delivered and installed on ISS). The FO flight test enabled the SBIR Phase II award; SBIR carried AMF forward to actual deployment.

Core Technology Thread 2: Archinaut (In-Space Assembly/Robotics)

Made in Space's attempt to extend from printing individual parts to autonomous large-scale structure assembly in orbit.

  • 93903 — Archinaut Technology Development | TDM | TRL 4→5 | Completed 2018
  • Demonstrated additive manufacturing + robotic assembly in thermal vacuum
  • Target: TRL 6. Achieved: TRL 5. Outcomes: Advanced To (×3, partner: Other) — no mission specified

  • PM: Dankanich (Director), Peugeot (PM), Kenny (PM) — same team as OSAM-1

  • 105673 — OSAM-2 | TDM | TRL 4→5 | CANCELED 2023-09-01

  • Period: 2019-07-01 to 2023-07-31; target TRL 7
  • Advanced_From Archinaut (×2); Canceled 2023-09-01
  • PM: Dankanich/Peugeot/Kenny — same management team as OSAM-1 (105676)

Archinaut narrative: Two sequential TDM projects (Archinaut → OSAM-2) both stalled at TRL 5 vs. TRL 6-7 targets. Both under the same PM team as OSAM-1 (which is nominally still "Active" but appears effectively terminated based on Restore-L legacy description and unchanged TRL 5→5). The Dankanich/Peugeot/Kenny team is linked to three stalled or canceled large ISM/servicing TDM programs.

Core Technology Thread 3: Materials Manufacturing (Glass, Semiconductors, Crystals)

Glass alloys (GAMMA/GAMMA-ALF)

  • 94596 + 102290 — GAMMA | SBIR (×2) | TRL 2→4, 4→6 | Completed 2019, 2021
  • 106680 — GAMMA-ALF | FO | TRL 3→6 | Completed 2022
  • Acoustic levitation furnace for microgravity glass alloy manufacturing
  • FO parabolic test of glass alloy formation in reduced gravity

Nonlinear optical crystals

  • 93551 + 101884 + 102773 — Industrial Crystallization | SBIR (Phase I/II/III) | TRL 3→4→6→8 | Completed
  • Industrial crystallization facility for nonlinear optical material production
  • SBIR Phase III reached TRL 8 — commercial-level space hardware

Thin-film semiconductors (MSTIC)

  • 155254 — MSTIC | FO | TRL 4→6 target | Completed Jan 2026, TRL 4
  • PVD + CVD semiconductor deposition in microgravity
  • 4 parabolic flights (2023-05-08, 2023-10-16, 2023-11-28, 2024-02-26) — "first successful samples in microgravity"
  • Description: "flight hardware that is currently on the ISS" — actual ISS deployment noted in description
  • TRL still 4 in TechPort despite ISS deployment described — another description-layer infusion case
  • Shares co-investigator Curtis W. Hill with SEADS (155248, MSFC) — parallel semiconductor ISM thread

Vulcan hybrid manufacturing

  • 93797 + 103113 + 101817 + 106743 — Vulcan | SBIR (×3) + FO | TRL 3→4→5→6→6 | Completed
  • Multi-material (metal + polymer + ceramic) hybrid additive manufacturing
  • Four-project progression: SBIR Phase I/II/III + FO flight test validation

Other Notable Projects

  • 93919 — Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata | NIAC | TRL 1→2 | Completed 2017
  • NIAC Phase I concept: process asteroid material into autonomous mechanical systems

  • Highly speculative; no follow-on in TechPort

  • 18319 — R3DO Plastic Recycling | SBIR | TRL 3→5 | Completed 2014

  • Close-loop: recycle printed parts back into 3D printer feedstock on ISS

Portfolio-Level Patterns

Multi-program expertise: Made in Space used FO for concept/flight validation (parabolic/suborbital) and SBIR for hardware development. The combination of FO + SBIR + TDM is unusual among SBIR-eligible companies — most use just FO or SBIR, not the full chain.

TRL ceiling wall at 5-6: The TDM-funded large-scale programs (Archinaut TRL 5, OSAM-2 TRL 5 then canceled) never escaped TRL 5. The ISS AMF (TRL 8 via SBIR) succeeded precisely because it stayed in the lower-cost SBIR track longer. The jump from SBIR to TDM appears to have been a risk increase that wasn't managed.

Description-layer infusion: MSTIC (155254) has hardware on ISS (per description) but shows TRL 4 and no outcome fields. ISS AMF (12902) shows TRL 8 but no Infused_To/Transitioned_To fields. Follows the FO structural gap pattern.

Dankanich/Peugeot/Kenny PM team: Present on Archinaut TDM (93903), OSAM-2 (105673), and OSAM-1 (105676). All three stalled at TRL 5 vs. 6-9 targets; two canceled. The PM team manages NASA's most troubled in-space servicing/manufacturing TDM portfolio.

Cross-References

Queries Used

  • techport_find_projects(query="Made in Space", lead_organization="Made in Space", status=null, limit=27) — 27 projects
  • techport_get_project(project_ids=[155254, 93903, 105673, 12902]) — key project details