A 3D printed rocket from the company Relativity Space is due to take off on March 11. This manufacturing technique would radically reduce costs.
A maiden flight of a 3D-printed rocket will take place at Cape Canaveral, Florida on March 11. This test takeoff could help revolutionize the launch industry if successful, recalls the specialized media Space. The rocket, called Terran 1, is developed by the American company Relativity Space. The launch window runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Paris time and the launch can be viewed live from this link. The device is 33.5 meters high, with a diameter of just over 2 meters. In total, 85% of the mass of the rocket was printed in 3D, and the company is aiming for 95% in the future. A first launch attempt was canceled at the last minute on Wednesday due to a technical problem. Terran 1 should be able to place 1250 kg in low Earth orbit, but this first flight does not contain a payload.
What are the advantages of launching a 3D printed rocket? The speed and simplification of the manufacturing process. It takes just 60 days to produce such a craft, from raw material to flight. It is ten times faster than for a classic model. The company claims to divide the number of parts by 100 compared to a traditional rocket. Relativity was co-founded by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone in 2015, alumni of two new space leaders, Blue Origin and SpaceX, respectively.
Two industry giants already in space
Relativity, one of the few US rocket startups willing to compete with these companies to meet growing demand for satellites. It is banking on cheap launch services, with cost savings it hopes to achieve by using giant robotic 3D printers to simplify its rocket production lines. Rivals have focused on cutting costs by building rockets designed to be reusable, like the Falcon 9 boosters produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The majority of new contracts with Relativity are for the larger Terran R rocket. One has been signed with OneWeb, which wants to provide Internet access from space through a constellation of satellites. This type of rocket medium-heavy is clearly where the biggest market opportunity is for the rest of the decade, with a huge shortage currently in this payload class ยป said Tim Ellis, the young boss of the company. The company, based in Long Beach, has already signed contracts worth $1.65 billion.
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