Description
Relativity Space has rescheduled the launch of the "first" rocket of this type, a 3D-printed spacecraft, for Saturday after the initial effort was canceled due to a fuel leak issue. The company announced the delayed launch of the Terran 1 rocket in a tweet on Wednesday, citing issues with the rocket's propellant temperature. If successful, it will be the first rocket to reach orbit made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts, as well as the first to do so using methane-derived fuel, Bloomberg reported. ALSO READ: ISS Undertakes Emergency Acceleration to Avoid Space Collision; this is why
3D printed rocket
Relativity Space, a relatively new entrant to the space industry with no prior rocket launch experience, claimed that 85% of Terran 1 is 3D printed. With the exception of moving parts such as rubber seals, computers, and electrical circuitry, all other parts, including the nose cone, rocket body, internal propellant tanks, and most of your Aeon engines, They are 3D printed.
The company claims to have built the world's largest metal 3D printer to create the rockets.
Using 3D printing, the company says it will make its design accurate and reduce labor, which will significantly lower the cost of the rocket.
Relativity's managing director, Tim Ellis, a former Blue Origin LLC engineer, explains that the goal is to demonstrate that the 3D-printed vehicle can withstand Max Q, which occurs in the first few minutes of flight when the rocket is subjected to the strongest forces. big. and restrictions.
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powered by methane fuel
If successful, Terrain 1 will also become the first methane-powered rocket to reach orbit. Although less efficient than substitute hydrogen, methane doesn't need to be as cold to work and requires less complicated machinery. It is also less likely to leak from the engine than hydrogen.
One of the biggest benefits of using methane as a fuel is that it burns cleaner, with less soot, than another alternative fuel, kerosene.
“Hydrogen rocket engines are like the Ferraris of rocket engines,” Martin Ross, an atmospheric scientist at the nonprofit Aerospace Corp., told Bloomberg. “They're very complex, hard to make, hard to reuse. But they have great performances,” he continued.
(Contributed by Bloomberg)
