Energy Efficient In Space Manufacturing of High Performance Composite Longeron

The construction of next-generation space structures, such as the 100-meter cislunar situational awareness antennas, requires In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) to overcome the volume constraints of launch vehicle fairings. However, current ISM approaches are hindered by high energy demands. This study validates a low-energy manufacturing paradigm for fabricating high-performance continuous carbon fiber composite longerons using Frontal Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (FROMP) of dicyclopentadiene(DCPD). We present a novel incremental curing process for ISM, enabled by a compact, thermally managed station featuring a split-mold heating zone and an active thermoelectric cooling section. Experimental characterization demonstrates that this system achieves a mass-specific energy consumption of 2.0 MJ/kg —orders of magnitude lower than conventional thermoplastic melting or autoclave cycles—while yielding high-performance composites.