Space, the Final Frontier for…Welding? ISS National Lab-Sponsored Research to Test Cold Welding for Spacecraft Repairs | PR Newswire [Video]

The SpaceX CRS-31 mission for NASA will advance cold welding techniques for on-the-spot spacecraft hull repairs

, /PRNewswire/ — Imagine a spacecraft hurtling through deep space when suddenly, it’s struck by a rogue piece of space debris. In the harsh vacuum of space, traditional repair methods falter. Enter ASTROBEAT, an innovative experiment sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, poised to advance spacecraft repairs using cold welding—a technique akin to patching a tire while soaring through space. 

This experiment, which arrived at the space station via SpaceX’s 31st Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA, is spearheaded by Leonardo Barilaro, a senior lecturer in aerospace engineering at the Malta College of Arts, Sciences, and Technology (MCAST).

“Cold welding has long been considered an adverse phenomenon in space, but with ASTROBEAT, we’re transforming a problem into a viable repair mechanism,” Barilaro explains. “It aims to create a paradigm shift in conducting structural repairs in space—swiftly, efficiently, and with minimal external intervention.”

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