Earlier this February, we gave a lightning talk at Vision Weekend Puerto Rico 2026, hosted by Foresight Institute.
The talk focused on why autonomous, scalable construction in orbit matters, and how it could become possible. We outlined the case for large-scale orbital construction as a necessary capability for building critical space systems that are too large or fragile to launch fully assembled, including large solar power arrays, orbital factories, and kilometer-scale telescopes.
The talk also connected this vision to The Orbital Yard, Manifold’s research program focused on developing the core primitives required for autonomous in-space construction, including modular structure assembly, cooperative transportation and handoff of large objects, and safe navigation in dense orbital environments.
Recording available here:
