Shape-shifting space tiles to assemble, split and rebuild spacecraft autonomously

Spacecraft could one day change their shape after reaching orbit, allowing operators to add capabilities without launching an entirely new vehicle. Rendezvous Robotics has raised $20 million to develop that technology, with its first orbital demonstration planned for 2028.

The startup intends to launch seven independent spacecraft tiles that will join together in space. They will then separate and assemble into a different configuration, testing whether autonomous spacecraft can build and reshape larger structures without external robotic assistance.

MaC Venture Capital and Toyota Ventures led the oversubscribed seed round. Rendezvous will use the funding to advance its spacecraft designs and prepare for flight demonstrations.

Seven tiles will join in orbit

Rocket fairings dictate the dimensions of conventional spacecraft before they leave Earth. Engineers must fit every component within that envelope, limiting the size of equipment such as antennas and power systems.

Rendezvous wants to move some of that construction work into orbit. Its spacecraft launch as individual tiles that maneuver independently before connecting with one another. The resulting structure can exceed the dimensions of any single module.

Reconfiguration presents a further engineering challenge. The seven tiles must coordinate their movements and establish connections before separating and forming a new arrangement. The planned mission will test whether they can complete those operations autonomously in low Earth orbit.

CEO Joe Landon believes the approach could eventually support spacecraft with megawatt-scale power generation. He also sees potential for much larger communications and sensing apertures. Those capabilities could support missions that face significant constraints under conventional spacecraft designs.

MIT experiment goes commercial

The technology originated with TESSERAE, a modular self-assembly concept developed by Ariel Ekblaw at MIT. Ekblaw later advanced the research through the Aurelia Institute, which she founded, before co-founding Rendezvous Robotics.

Earlier TESSERAE generations flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and during two missions to the International Space Station (ISS). These experiments helped researchers investigate how the underlying concept behaves in microgravity.

Ekblaw said the research aimed to rethink spacecraft construction itself. “What began as an experiment in self-assembly is now becoming a new way to build spacecraft in orbit,” she said.

Rendezvous is developing larger tiles that operate independently. Ground demonstrations are testing their ability to move and align before connecting. The next phase must establish whether those mechanisms can perform reliably under spaceflight conditions.

Two tests are approaching

A parabolic flight campaign scheduled for November 2026 will examine electromagnetic actuation and tile mobility in microgravity. The company has reserved a rideshare launch for its orbital demonstration, which is scheduled no earlier than April 2028.

Another milestone will take place aboard the ISS in December 2026. Researchers plan to assemble 32 fifth-generation TESSERAE tiles into a three-dimensional structure inside a controlled microgravity environment.

That experiment will conclude the earlier TESSERAE research program as Rendezvous advances its free-flying spacecraft architecture. The two demonstrations address different challenges, with the ISS test examining assembly in a controlled setting and the 2028 mission targeting autonomous reconfiguration in open space.

The new financing also includes significant participation from the University of Michigan Endowment. Astera, co-founded by Jed McCaleb, joined the round as a new investor. Existing backers Aurelia Foundry, ATX Venture Partners and Mana Ventures also participated.

Rendezvous must now turn laboratory research into a system that works beyond controlled experiments. Its 2028 mission will test whether independent spacecraft can reliably connect and reorganize in orbit, a capability that could change how engineers design future space infrastructure.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/space/self-assembling-spacecraft-orbital-test