The U.S. Space Force has awarded California-based Orbital Composites a $1.9 million contract to advance AI-driven manufacturing of heat-resistant components used in rockets, hypersonic vehicles, missile defense systems, and nuclear reactors.
The funding comes through SpaceWERX’s Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program and will support development of the company’s robotic additive manufacturing platform for producing extreme-environment materials. These components are designed to withstand temperatures above 3,000 degrees Celsius, high-speed combustion gases, and repeated thermal shock.
Orbital said the technology aims to address a longstanding manufacturing bottleneck in the United States. Critical components such as rocket nozzles and heat shields often require expensive production methods, long lead times of 12 to 18 months, and depend on limited domestic manufacturing capacity.
The company combines robotics, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, and what it calls physical AI to automate production from digital design through manufacturing.
According to Orbital, the same manufacturing platform can produce components for solid rocket motors, hypersonic vehicles, missile defense interceptors, space systems, jet engines, and nuclear microreactors.
“Our initial goal is to eliminate the supply constraints on solid rocket motors that have long limited what the warfighter can field,” said Amolak Badesha, chief executive officer of Orbital Composites.
He added that the effort is also aimed at restoring U.S. manufacturing leadership in advanced materials considered critical for national security and industrial competitiveness.
The company says its robotic manufacturing system can produce high-performance parts, including rocket nozzles and heat shields, significantly faster and at lower cost than conventional manufacturing methods.
Orbital is working with defense contractors, U.S. government program offices, and commercial space and energy companies to qualify its manufacturing process and expand production capacity.
The company’s long-term goal is to develop AI-driven factories capable of taking a digital design file and autonomously manufacturing mission-ready parts.
“Extreme environment materials are the bottleneck in some of the most critical systems the U.S. fields, and today’s manufacturing methods are too slow, too costly, and too capacity-constrained to meet what the moment demands,” said founder and chief technology officer Cole Nielsen-Cole.
The TACFI award reflects growing interest within the U.S. defense sector in expanding domestic production of advanced materials that support next-generation military and space technologies. Demand for these components is expected to rise as the country accelerates work on hypersonic weapons, missile defense systems, commercial launch vehicles, and advanced nuclear energy projects.
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Campbell, California, Orbital Composites develops robotic additive manufacturing systems for producing advanced composite and high-temperature components for defense, aerospace, and energy applications.
With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.
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