Overview: As humanity edges toward becoming a multi-planetary species, Space Manufacturing has emerged as a critical frontier, one that could redefine how we build, sustain, and expand civilization beyond Earth’s gravity well. From in-orbit fabrication and 3D-printed satellite components to asteroid resource utilization and microgravity-enabled materials science, off-world manufacturing promises capabilities impossible to replicate on the ground. Yet this promise comes bundled with formidable challenges: the economics of launching and sustaining orbital factories, the engineering constraints of building in vacuum and microgravity, the logistics of supply chains spanning millions of kilometers, and the long-term viability of self-sustaining space-based industry. As the Aetherium Epoch calls us to look toward this next industrial revolution, this topic sits at the intersection of engineering, economics, policy, and ambition.
Submission Guidelines: This is an online submission round. Teams are required to submit a well-structured digital document answering the specified case questions. Submissions will be evaluated on clarity, depth of analysis, logical structure, use of evidence, and relevance to the case.
Document Submission File Type: PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx)
Deadline: 9th September 2026
Rules and Regulations: This is a team event open to college students only. Each team can have a maximum of 3 participants. Members of the team can be from different colleges. Teams qualifying the first round will be invited to IIT Kharagpur Campus for a presentation round, followed by a Q&A session. The top three teams will be awarded certificates of excellence. Teams invited for the offline round will receive a participation certificate.