ThinkOrbital, founded in 2021, is a space infrastructure company that focuses on developing technologies for in-space construction and manufacturing. They are known for their ThinkPlatforms, scalable space structures designed for autonomous assembly in orbit, and their work on autonomous welding in space. ThinkOrbital partners with organizations like NASA and ESA and offers solutions for satellite servicing, space debris processing, on-orbit storage, and military operations. Keywords associated with ThinkOrbital include in-space manufacturing, space infrastructure, autonomous assembly, and space welding.
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ThinkOrbital’s microgravity welding tests could enable the U.S. Space Force to construct objects four times the size of the International Space Station in a matter of weeks from a single launch.
ThinkOrbital has contracted with Space Systems Command to explore forward basing of space infrastructure that could be deployed at a moment’s notice.
Lee Rosen is the CEO and co-founder of ThinkOrbital, which he co-founded in 2022.
Lee Rosen worked as a vice president at SpaceX for 11 years before co-founding ThinkOrbital.
ThinkOrbital aims to enable large-scale orbital infrastructure for defense missions, manufacturing, and space-based compute.
Application areas for ThinkOrbital's technologies include space-based compute platforms optimized for AI workloads.
With new funding, ThinkOrbital plans to accelerate work on dual-use technologies linking orbital defense and terrestrial security.
ThinkOrbital's Space-to-Space X-ray system is scheduled to fly on orbital demonstration missions in March and October 2026.
ThinkOrbital is advancing new approaches to assembling large structures in orbit.
ThinkOrbital maintains a portfolio of patented dual-use X-ray imaging drones and autonomous ground vehicles.
ThinkOrbital's technologies extend to military battlespace awareness, law enforcement, and critical energy infrastructure inspection.
Lee Rosen is ThinkOrbital’s co-founder and a retired Air Force colonel.
ThinkOrbital's flagship project, the ThinkPlatform, is conceived as a spherical habitat designed for robotic assembly in orbit.
ThinkOrbital has hired retired U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw as an advisor.
ThinkOrbital seeks to expand its footprint in both commercial and military markets.
John Shaw's appointment follows ThinkOrbital's hiring of retired Air Force Col. Justin Chandler as vice president of government relations and strategic partnerships.
ThinkOrbital plans a self-funded demonstration in October to test a robotic arm equipped with an electronic beam welder that can also generate X-rays.
ThinkOrbital is pursuing ThinkPlatform, a spherical habitat designed to be flat-packed and robotically assembled in orbit using welding and additive manufacturing techniques.
ThinkOrbital will attempt later 2024 to demonstrate a robotic arm in space equipped with a welder gun that could repair and take X-ray images of satellites.
The welding samples from ThinkOrbital’s 2024-05-06 experiment returned to Earth on the Falcon 9 booster, were recovered, and are being analyzed by NASA and European Space Agency experts to assess microgravity effects.