3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

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PHXPhlyer
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3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:45 pm

World's first 3D-printed rocket set to make inaugural flight
If successful, the test flight would mark a new milestone for the space industry.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/w ... -rcna73868

It’s launch day for the world’s first 3D-printed rocket.

The Terran 1 booster, developed by California-based startup Relativity Space, is set for its debut flight Wednesday. The rocket is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station within a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 p.m. ET.

If successful, the test flight would mark a new milestone for the space industry. While 3D-printed components have flown on rockets before, Relativity’s booster is the first to be made almost entirely with 3D printing, which is also known as additive manufacturing.

That manufacturing process is meant to make it cheaper to build rockets, something that could be a competitive advantage in a market that has seen a flurry of activity in recent years and is projected to grow into a trillion-dollar industry.

The mission, nicknamed “Good Luck, Have Fun,” is designed to evaluate the rocket as it travels into low-Earth orbit. The booster will not be carrying cargo or any satellites on its inaugural flight, according to Relativity. Rather, the company is looking to see how the 3D-printed rocket holds up under real launch conditions — and if it can actually make it to space.

Relativity CEO Tim Ellis said the flight will be a valuable learning opportunity.

“No matter the outcome tomorrow, we are still in the early innings of a 9-inning ballgame,” Ellis tweeted Tuesday. “This launch won’t singularly define our long-term success.”

The two-stage Terran 1 rocket stands 110 feet tall. Roughly 85 percent of the booster’s mass was 3D printed, including the rocket’s structure and engines. Company officials have said their goal is for future versions to be 95 percent 3D printed. The aerospace firm is also aiming to make their rockets fully reusable in the future.

If the test flight is successful, Relativity’s booster will also be the world’s first methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit. Terran 1 burns a mix of methane and liquid oxygen to produce thrust.

Methane is thought to be a more efficient and higher-performing rocket fuel compared to standard options such as kerosene. It’s also seen as a lower-cost alternative because burned methane does not coat engines with residue in the same way as kerosene, which means reusable rockets would require less maintenance between launches.

Yet, no company or space agency to date has successfully launched a methane-fueled rocket into space. A Chinese company attempted to in December 2022, but the booster failed before reaching orbit and all of its onboard satellites were lost.

Relativity Space was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Terran 1 rocket is designed to haul up to 2,756 pounds into low-Earth orbit. Company officials have said their 3D-printed boosters will offer a relatively low-cost option to launch small commercial satellites into space.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#2 Post by Boac » Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:54 pm

26 minutes to go in the countdown at https://www.relativityspace.com

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#3 Post by Boac » Wed Mar 08, 2023 6:03 pm

Delayed 60 mins at present.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#4 Post by TheGreenAnger » Wed Mar 08, 2023 10:19 pm

Come on the both of you?

What happened? ;)))

The launch was scrubbed ladies and gentlemen...

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/news ... 427713002/

But these folks are onto something here, and the notion of a Van Neumann self replicating spacecraft relies on this kind of technology. I believe that this will allow us to move our machine civilization beyond this galaxy, sans human flesh of course, and over time frames inconceivable to our weak carbon, oxygen reliant biological entities. :-bd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-repl ... spacecraft
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#5 Post by Boac » Thu Mar 09, 2023 10:24 am

Now re-scheduled for 1300ET (1800Z) on March 11th.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#6 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Mar 11, 2023 10:23 pm

Last-minute aborts thwart launch of world's first 3D-printed rocket
“Based on initial data review, vehicle is healthy. More info to follow on cause of aborts today,” the company said in an update on Twitter.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/l ... -rcna74482

After two aborted attempts on Saturday, a California-based aerospace firm opted to postpone the launch of the world's first 3D-printed rocket.

Relativity Space’s Terran 1 booster was slated to lift off at 4 p.m. ET from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but with 45 seconds to go in the countdown, ground controllers called off the attempt. Roughly an hour earlier, the rocket suffered a separate last-minute abort after the booster’s engines had fired.

It’s not clear what prompted Relativity’s launch controllers to stand down, and the company has not yet announced a new launch date and time.

“Based on initial data review, vehicle is healthy. More info to follow on cause of aborts today. Thanks for playing,” the company said in an update on Twitter.

The company’s first liftoff attempt on Wednesday was called off after an issue was detected with the propellant temperature in the rocket’s second stage. Relativity has not said whether Saturday’s aborts were related to the same issue.

The Terran 1 test flight represents a major step for Relativity Space, and if successful, would be an important milestone for the space tech industry. The company has said that 3D printing could make it cheaper to build rockets and manufacture space capsules and other components for missions to the moon and Mars.

Rockets with 3D-printed parts have flown to space before, but Relativity’s booster is the first to be made almost entirely with 3D printing.

Roughly 85% of the rocket’s mass, including its nine engines, was 3D printed, according to the company. Relativity said it is aiming for future versions to be 95% 3D printed and fully reusable.

Relativity Space was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Terran 1 rocket is designed to haul up to 2,756 pounds into low-Earth orbit. Company officials have said their 3D-printed boosters will offer a relatively low-cost option to launch small commercial satellites into space.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#7 Post by Boac » Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:24 pm

Another go planned for 0200 GMT tonight.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#8 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:58 pm

World's first 3D-printed rocket launches but fails to reach orbit in key test flight
The booster experienced an anomaly with its upper stage several minutes into its inaugural mission.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/w ... -rcna76244

The world’s first 3D-printed rocket made it off the launch pad Wednesday night but failed to reach orbit in a key test flight by a California-based aerospace startup.

Relativity Space’s Terran 1 booster lifted off at 11:25 p.m. ET from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Several minutes into flight, however, mission controllers reported that the rocket experienced an anomaly with its upper stage that prevented it from successfully reaching orbit. The upper stage is designed to ignite separate engines midflight to boost it into space.

The Terran 1 rocket was not carrying any cargo or satellites on its inaugural flight. Instead, the test mission, nicknamed “Good Luck, Have Fun,” was designed to allow engineers to study how the booster performs at the launch pad and throughout its journey into space.

“No one’s ever attempted to launch a 3D-printed rocket into orbit, and while we didn’t make it all the way today, we gathered enough data to show that flying 3D-printed rockets is possible,” Arwa Tizani Kelly, a test and launch technical program manager for Relativity Space, said during live commentary of the event.

Few other details about the anomaly were provided. Company officials said engineering teams will analyze data from the flight in the coming days to determine what happened with the rocket.

Relativity officials have said 3D printing could make it cheaper to build rockets and manufacture space capsules and other components for missions to the moon and beyond.

Rockets with 3D-printed parts have flown to space before, but Relativity’s booster is the first to be made almost entirely with 3D printing.

Roughly 85% of the 110-foot-tall rocket’s mass, including its nine engines, was 3D-printed, according to the company. Relativity said it's aiming for future versions to be 95% 3D-printed and fully reusable.

The Terran 1 rocket's maiden launch had been delayed several times because of technical issues with the booster. The company was forced to stand down from a first attempt this month after an issue was detected with the propellant temperature in the rocket’s second stage. A second outing on March 11 was scrubbed after two last-minute aborts occurred at the launch pad.

Relativity Space was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Terran 1 rocket is designed to haul up to 2,756 pounds into low-Earth orbit. Company officials have said their 3D-printed boosters will offer a relatively low-cost option to launch small commercial satellites into space.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#9 Post by Boac » Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:13 pm

A shame, but a good first effort in new technology. The success of the first stage will be very encouraging.

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Re: 3D Printed Rocket Set To Launch

#10 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:28 pm

They didn't seem too surprised at the outcome and didn't schedule any payload on this launch.

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