The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reinforced its position as a national leader in space technology and innovation by hosting a workshop earlier this year at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Roadmap for In-Space Manufacturing of Resilient Structures brought together leading researchers, program managers, technology developers, and decision-makers from NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, industry and academia to identify critical challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of manufacturing, assembly, and infrastructure beyond Earth. The workshop was supported by a Strategic Research Initiatives grant from The Grainger College of Engineering and by the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
"By convening leaders from across government, industry, and academia, Illinois has established itself as a national hub for defining the future research agenda and technology roadmap for in-space manufacturing and resilient space infrastructure," said Jeff Baur, one of the workshop organizers and leaders of the SpaceMaRS Center. "The discussions highlighted both the transformative opportunities and the significant challenges that must be addressed to enable sustainable operations in low Earth orbit, on the moon, and beyond."
The workshop explored a broad range of topics, including in-space manufacturing, resilient materials for harsh space environments, deployable and off-world habitat structures as well as launch and demonstration infrastructure for future space systems. Participants worked collaboratively to develop roadmaps that identified near-, mid-, and long-term priorities needed to transition emerging technologies into operational capabilities.
Among the highlights was a presentation by Mechanical Science and Engineering faculty member Sameh Tawfick on Mission Illinois, the university's planned International Space Station demonstration. The project aims to autonomously manufacture a composite longeron—the fundamental building block of future large-scale space truss structures—in orbit for the first time. Tawfick emphasized that the future success of in-space manufacturing will depend on aligning technical innovation with compelling business cases that create value for commercial and government users alike.
The workshop also showcased Illinois' unique breadth of expertise in disciplines critical to the future space economy. Robyn Woollands highlighted the challenges associated with multi-agent manufacturing and assembly in space, where robotic systems must coordinate complex orbital mechanics, propulsion requirements, and structural interactions while operating autonomously.
Ioannis Chasiotis, a co-organizer of the workshop, noted that the workshop outcomes reinforce Illinois' opportunity to expand its leadership in the development of foundational materials science, manufacturing processes, structural mechanics, and autonomous systems required for future space missions. The resulting roadmaps align closely with Illinois' strengths in advanced composites, additive manufacturing, impact mechanics, robotics, artificial intelligence, resilient materials, and aerospace systems, while creating new opportunities for strategic partnerships among government agencies, national laboratories, and industry.
"By bringing together a group of diverse stakeholders to define a common vision for resilient space infrastructure, the workshop positioned Illinois at the forefront of a rapidly growing national effort to more fully utilize the space domain and enable sustainable human presence in space," said Chasiotis.
Another major theme of the workshop was understanding and mitigating the effects of the harsh space environment on materials and structures. Nancy Sottos, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, described opportunities for future collaborations in space-environment simulation, materials characterization, and data sharing from both orbital experiments and laboratory testing. Sottos and Chasiotis routinely participate to on-orbit materials testing through the Materials International Space Station Experiment program and together with Xin Ning this Illinois team is uniquely positioned to connect on-orbit data with advanced ground-based testing and modeling capabilities.
This capability spans multiple scales and disciplines. Huck Beng Chew highlighted that multiscale modeling approaches are needed to reveal how atomic- and molecular-scale interactions influence long-term material degradation in space. Meanwhile, Illinois possesses rare experimental capabilities to simulate and measure hypervelocity impacts from micrometeoroids and orbital debris in Chasiotis' laboratory, enabling researchers to investigate how combined environmental effects influence structural performance and durability over time.
Participants repeatedly emphasized that workforce development will be essential to realizing the promise of the emerging space economy. As space manufacturing, assembly, and infrastructure become increasingly important, universities must play a central role in educating engineers and scientists who can work across disciplines spanning materials, structures, robotics, manufacturing, and aerospace systems.
According to Grainger College of Engineering Senior Executive Dean Philippe Geubelle, the strong participation from NASA, AFRL, commercial space companies and academic leaders underscored the importance of a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach. He noted that Illinois is uniquely positioned to convene communities, develop transformative technologies, and lead the next generation of innovations in in-space manufacturing and resilient structures.
The workshop also highlighted the growing role of commercial space platforms in accelerating technology development. Jonathan Volk, business development director at Voyager Technologies, described the company's commitment to enabling academic and government research through access to space-based testing and demonstration opportunities. With the planned Starlab commercial space station intended to succeed the International Space Station, industry partnerships will play an increasingly important role in transitioning emerging technologies from the laboratory to operational space systems.
Baur said the workshop concluded with a shared vision: a future where resilient materials, autonomous manufacturing systems, advanced robotics, and sustainable infrastructure enable humanity to build, maintain, and expand its presence beyond Earth.
"By bringing together the nation's leading experts to define that future, Illinois demonstrated not only its leadership in space research today, but also its commitment to shaping the technologies and workforce that will drive the space economy for decades to come," he said.