Redwire Acquires Made in Space

Made In Space’s Zero-G Printer is the first 3D printer designed to operate in zero gravity. Photo: Made In Space

Redwire, a newly formed company for space solutions, on Tuesday said it has acquired Made In Space (MIS), a provider of on-orbit space manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing and robotic assembly. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Redwire said that Made In Space will retain its branding and its new headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. Made In Space CEO and President Andrew Rush will remain the company’s president, and become Redwire COO, effective immediately. The company intends to grow Made In Space’s footprint in Jacksonville.

MIS has worked with NASA for the past decade on in-space manufacturing and assembly technologies for building large scale space assets on-orbit. MIS plans to serve NASA in its manned exploration of the Moon and Mars with in-space manufacturing capabilities. NASA is MIS’ largest customer.

“To truly realize the full potential for space exploration, innovation must change the economics,” Peter Cannito, Redwire’s CEO, said in a statement. “Made In Space has been driving these innovations and is now positioned to revolutionize the industry.”

Redwire, a portfolio company of the private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, was created in June through the combination of two AEI portfolio companies acquired earlier this year, Adcole Space and Deep Space Systems. Redwire has about 230 employees, including 125 added through the MIS deal.

“Joining Redwire is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new company taking an innovative approach to address the needs of today’s space industry,” Rush said in a statement. “Redwire provides us with the scale and space heritage we need to take our technology to the next level.”

MIS’ 3D printing and on-orbit manufacturing technologies are new to Redwire, which has capabilities sensors, payloads, exploration spacecraft, ground support equipment, software, data acquisition and recovery systems, and satellite components. MIS also has locations in California, Alabama, Ohio and Luxembourg.

This article was first published by our sister publication Defense Daily