Rocket Lab helps NASA to 3D print spacecraft parts in orbit

New Zealand is expected to play a role in the future of spacecraft construction by helping NASA to 3D print parts in space.

The US Space Agency will launch the experimental Archinaut One spacecraft from the Rockia Lab base in the Mahia Peninsula.

Once in orbit, Archinaut will print in 3D two beams 10 meters long on each side of his body, which will then deploy two massive solar panels.

Panels can generate up to five times more energy than traditional solar panels installed on spacecraft of similar size.

If successful, the technology could help astronauts avoid risky space exits by making printers build parts for them.

It would also launch large spacecraft into smaller beams, a boon for Rocket Lab, which specializes in launching micro-satellites.

"Robotic manufacturing and assembly in space are decisive factors," said Jim Reuter, associate director of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Archinaut One should not be launched until 2022.