As the space industry looks beyond rockets and satellites to the next wave of orbital infrastructure, one company is betting big on students to help shape that future.Arkisys, a California-based manufacturer of on-orbit platforms, is once again teaming up with the COSMIC Capstone Challenge to put real-world space hardware in the hands of college students across the U.S.The COSMIC Capstone Challenge began in 2023 as a NASA-supported program to help train the next generation of space engineers.
Each year, student teams tackle hands-on projects related to In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing, also known as ISAM.This growing field includes things like robotic assembly, orbital repairs, and modular space systems, and it’s becoming a key part of building a better space economy.Now gearing up for its 2025–2026 cycle, the challenge features four tracks: orbital manufacturing and assembly, lunar operations, orbital servicing, and in-space assembly.
Arkisys returns as an industry partner, offering students access to its open-source Bosuns Locker designs to help them get started with real-world tools for space development.This year, the company will also be leading one of the four challenge tracks in collaboration with the COSMIC Workforce Development team, helping guide student teams as they explore real-world ISAM applications.“One of the company’s tenets is that to be successful, we must not just secure customers, but educate the next generation on the value proposition of space test, integration, and assembly,” Arkisys CEO David Barnhart told 3DPrint.com.
“The challenge is a unique opportunity to connect with hundreds of students all over the country and share our excitement and vision for the future in space servicing.” Arkisys’ Bosuns Locker.Image courtesy of Arkisys.What is a Bosuns Locker? In nautical terms, a bosun’s locker is a place to store essential tools and gear.
Arkisys’s Bosuns Locker follows that same idea, but in orbit.It’s described by the company as a modular, space-qualified “container” that can hold different payloads, experiments, or components and be robotically attached onto the Arkisys Port Module, a platform the company is developing for in-space assembly and operations.Designing the Bosuns Locker.
Image courtesy of Arkisys.“The Bosuns Lockers are one method we offer to integrate a customer’s payload into a container that’s already designed to mount on our Port Module,” Barnhart explained.“It was a natural step to test that system with students — and in the process, test our entire onboarding process.” The idea is to make it easier and cheaper for both commercial customers and student teams to launch and operate hardware in orbit.
The Lockers are also being designed to work with Arkisys’s Cutter vehicles, which will transport these modules to space in the future.The Bosuns Locker.Image courtesy of Arkisys.
3D Printing the Future of Space One key feature of the Bosuns Locker is that it can be made using 3D printing.For students in the COSMIC Capstone Challenge, Arkisys is sharing 3D printable files so teams can build and test their ideas using real-world limits.This hands-on approach helps students consider factors like launch durability, radiation resistance, and thermal performance, giving them valuable experience designing hardware for space.
Arkisys will also offer prizes for the most innovative student projects during the Spring 2026 showcase.“We’re investigating how today’s 3D earth-based materials could be used directly—or in collaboration with others—so anyone could print a Bosuns Locker to launch.This kind of learning will eventually contribute to doing the same level of 3D printing in orbit in the future.” This focus on additive manufacturing reflects a broader shift across the space industry.
Printing parts on demand could reduce costs, speed up production, and make long-term infrastructure in orbit more feasible.In fact, a recent AM Research report backs this trend.“AM for Satellites: A 3D Printing Market Opportunity” predicts that by 2033, up to half of the parts on launched satellites could be made with additive manufacturing.
The report also forecasts that the market for metal AM hardware in the satellite sector could more than quadruple over the same period.These findings highlight just how important AM is becoming to the future of satellite and orbital development.Modularity in Orbit To support its vision of modular orbital infrastructure, Arkisys has partnered with iBOSS, a German space systems company known for its iBLOCK technology.
Like the Bosuns Locker, the iBLOCK is a flexible, connectable container for space payloads, but with the added advantage of being able to link together in chains, forming larger systems in orbit.“iBOSS has invested in the idea of modularity by design,” Barnhart said.“They developed a generic container that allows any payload to fit inside, and their connector system [iSSI] is directly compatible with ours.” Arkisys has already tested these modular systems in the field, including a dedicated iSSI interface flown on a Sidus Space mission, believed to be the first of its kind designed for post-launch modification.
With iBOSS now part of the Bosuns Locker “family,” students have even more options for designing systems that can scale and adapt post-launch, a key feature for future space stations, satellite servicing hubs, and more, Barnhart adds.The iSSI.Image courtesy of iBOSS.
Opening the Door to Undiscovered Ideas Arkisys isn’t just looking for technical solutions.The team hopes student participants will think beyond traditional use cases and come up with ideas that challenge industry expectations.“We’ve looked at space through three lenses.
Earth-focused systems, space-to-space activities, and what I call the ‘undiscovered markets,’ the amazing ideas that no one in the industry has considered yet.That’s what I’m most excited about.” Also, according to Arkisys Manufacturing Engineer Noah Gladden, the company aims to make access to space as easy and affordable as possible.Instead of requiring companies or universities to build their own satellites, Arkisys offers a streamlined path for launching and testing new technologies directly on its orbital platforms.
By giving students the tools, designs, and platform to experiment with, Arkisys hopes to uncover novel applications for space hardware and to inspire the next generation of space engineers and entrepreneurs.Education for a New Space Economy Today, most space missions are single-use.Satellites are launched, complete their jobs, and become space debris.
Arkisys wants to change that by promoting reusable, modular systems that can evolve over time, and this shift starts in the classroom.“The only way the future of our global reach will expand into space is to build upon what we already launch,” Barnhart said.“We have to teach the next generation how to do that—and hands-on, experiential learning like the COSMIC Capstone Challenge is the fastest way.” With student teams now preparing for the 2025–2026 challenge, which begins in the fall, the next wave of innovators is already starting to imagine what they could build in orbit.
Thanks to initiatives like this, they’ll have the chance to design, test, and prototype ideas that could help shape the future of space infrastructure.University teams interested in joining the 2025–2026 COSMIC Capstone Challenge can learn more and register through the official COSMIC website: https://cosmicspace.org/c3/.The program is open to colleges and universities across the U.S., and encourages student teams from a wide range of disciplines to participate.
Teams can register by the preferred deadline of August 4, 2025.Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.Print Services Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
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