Boeing accelerates spacecraft production with 3D-printed solar panel structures

Boeing accelerates spacecraft production with 3D-printed solar panel structures
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 11, 2025

Boeing has introduced a 3D-printed solar array substrate design that cuts composite build times by as much as six months for a typical solar wing assembly, representing up to a 50 percent faster production cycle compared with current methods.

The company has already completed engineering tests on flight-ready hardware and is moving through standard qualification steps ahead of operational missions.

"Power sets the pace of a mission. We reached across our enterprise to introduce efficiencies and novel technologies to set a more rapid pace," said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems. "By integrating Boeing's additive manufacturing expertise with Spectrolab's high-efficiency solar tech and Millennium's high-rate production line, our Space Mission Systems team is turning production speed into a capability, helping customers field resilient constellations faster."

The first arrays using 3D-printed substrates will carry Spectrolab solar cells aboard Millennium Space Systems satellites, both subsidiaries of Boeing's Space Mission Systems division. The approach also supports parallel builds by pairing rigid printed substrates with modular solar technologies.

Each printed panel integrates features such as harness paths and mounting points directly into the structure, replacing dozens of separate parts, long-lead tooling and sensitive bonding steps. Boeing based the design on qualified, flight-proven additive materials and processes, simplifying assembly while improving resilience.

"As we scale additive manufacturing across Boeing, we're not just taking time and cost out, we're putting performance in," said Melissa Orme, vice president, Materials and Structures, Boeing Technology Innovation. "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. That's the point of enterprise additive, it delivers better parts today and the capacity to build many more of them tomorrow."

Boeing already employs over 150,000 3D-printed parts across its portfolio. This includes more than 1,000 radio-frequency components per Wideband Global SATCOM satellite and several small-satellite product lines featuring fully printed structures.

The new design scales from small spacecraft to larger platforms such as the Boeing 702 class, with commercial availability expected in 2026. Parallel panel printing with cell production, coupled with robotic assembly and automated inspection at Spectrolab, further reduces production handoffs and accelerates delivery timelines.

Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial aircraft, defense systems and space technologies for customers in more than 150 nations. The company emphasizes innovation, sustainability and safety across its global workforce and supply chain.