Spiders on Mars may have been predicted by David Bowie , but in fact spiders in space could help us get to the red planet . Tether Unlimited has revealed a system of robo spiders than can construct solar panels , trusses and other parts of spacecraft in orbit . The Nasa-back firm says it could dramatically reduce the cost of building spacecraft by allowing the final construction to take place in orbit . Scroll down for video . The system uses arachnid-like robots to construct large objects in orbit around the Earth by 'spinning ' building material into shape . SpiderFab uses arachnid-like droids to construct large objects in orbit . SpiderFab could cut construction costs by only launching raw materials such as carbon fibre into orbit . The robots can then piece together the materials while in orbit , finishing off the spacecraft . The futuristic new system – dubbed SpiderFab – is being developed by a company called Tethers Unlimited . The system uses arachnid-like robots to construct large objects in orbit around the Earth or further into the Solar System . 'This process will enable space systems to be launched in a compact and durable 'embryonic ' state , ' the firm says . 'Once on orbit , these systems will use techniques evolved from emerging additive manufacturing and automated assembly technologies to fabricate and integrate components such as antennas , shrouds , booms , concentrators , and optics . 'The primary benefit of this on-orbit fabrication capability will be order-of-magnitude improvements in packing efficiency and system mass , which will enable NASA to use small , low-cost launch vehicles to deploy systems dramatically larger than possible with current state-of-the-art technologies . 'The net payoff will be to enable NASA to acquire and distribute a variety of forms of data at higher resolution , higher bandwidth , higher signal-to-noise , and lower life-cycle cost . ' 'Our really long-term objective for all of this work is to eventually enable the use of in-situ resources to construct the infrastructure in space needed to support humanity 's expansion throughout the solar system , ' Dr. Robert Hoyt claimed last month during a presentation with NASA 's Future In-Space Operations ( FISO ) working group . Under a Nasa contract , the firm is currently implementing the first step in the SpiderFab architecture : a machine that uses 3D printing techniques and robotic assembly to fabricate long , high-performance truss structures . He says the current way we build spacecraft is flawed . 'It 's a very expensive and time-consuming process , and also , the size of systems is somewhat limited by the size of the deployables that are possible to fold up and fit within a launch shroud , ' he said . Tethers Unlimited hopes to launch its first working construction robot into space within the next couple of years . 'In a perfect world — if funding flowed and the contracting process did n't drag on forever — we think we could get to be able to build very large support structures for antennas and solar arrays , and those sorts of components , in the early 2020s , ' Dr. Hoyt said . The 'Trusselator ' device will enable construction of large support structures for systems such as multi-hundred-kilowat solar arrays , large solar sails , and football-field sized antennas . Under a Nasa contract , the firm is currently implementing the first step in the SpiderFab architecture : a machine that uses 3D printing techniques and robotic assembly to fabricate long , high-performance truss structures . This 'Trusselator ' device will enable construction of large support structures for systems such as multi-hundred-kilowat solar arrays , large solar sails , and football-field sized antennas .
SpiderFab uses arachnid-like droids to construct large objects in orbit . The company is also working on a space elevator that would allow people and cargo from Earth to travel between the Moon and Mars, but it has not yet announced any plans for such an ambitious project.