This page presents a cellular approach to building large space structures: a single, invariant structural cell that can host different functional contents without changing its external geometry, neighbor interface, or load path.
One tile = frame + content
The left object in the demo is one tile at enlarged scale. It consists of:
- Invariant frame — edge rails, corner nodes, cross braces, and power/data passthroughs. The frame defines the mechanical envelope and the mounting contract.
- Replaceable content — the cavity inside the frame can be populated with solar cells, controllers, batteries, radiators, antennas, or left empty.
The idea is that the same frame can be mass-produced and qualified once, while the payload inside evolves with mission needs, failures, or upgrades.
Populating a field
The right object shows a grid of the same frame populated with a mix of contents. Sliders control:
- Grid size from 3×3 to 8×8.
- Controller tiles for compute and power management.
- Battery tiles for energy storage.
- Radiator tiles for thermal control.
- Antenna tiles for communications or sensing.
The remaining cells default to solar content. Non-solar functions are placed outward from the center first, so critical infrastructure spreads across the array rather than clustering.
Interactive exploration
Use the buttons to explode content away from the frames, toggle the power mesh that links neighbors, enable or disable auto-rotation, reset the view, or apply the solar-dominant preset. Click any tile in the field to cycle its content through the available types.
The concept scale is one scene unit to one meter, with a nominal tile size of 1.35 m.
This is a design surface rather than a flight article. Its purpose is to make the separation between structure and payload tangible, and to show how a small palette of cell types can populate a much larger platform.