Today, Saturday, a missile made with 3D printing technology is scheduled to take off from the “Cape Canaveral” base in Florida, USA. The success of its launch may contribute to revolutionizing the missile launch industry.
This missile, which bears the name “Teran 1”, was developed by the company “Relativity Space”.
This first test flight aims to prove the missile’s ability to withstand take-off pressure and collect as much data as possible in order to further develop these less expensive and easier-to-manufacture missiles, according to the company.
85 percent of the missile’s mass was made using 3D printing technology. The company is looking to raise this percentage to 95 percent. The benefits are many, foremost of which is reducing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process while securing the greatest degree of flexibility.
With its large 3D-printing robots, the company says there are 100 times fewer parts than it takes to build a conventional rocket. She also stresses the speed of this method, explaining that the production process takes sixty days from raw materials to the final product.
The “Tiran 1” missile is 33.5 meters high and a little more than 2 meters in diameter. Its first layer includes nine engines produced in 3D printing as well, and its second layer includes only one engine.
An initial launch attempt was canceled at the last minute on Wednesday due to a technical problem.
On Saturday morning, Relativity Space wrote on Twitter that preparations were proceeding as planned, but that “high winds were being observed, a possible concern today.”
– “fuel of the future”
The fuel is a mixture called methalox of liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas (mainly methane). Terran 1, if it succeeds in reaching Earth’s orbit, will be the first rocket to use this type of fuel to reach orbit.
Relativity Space says it is the “fuel of the future” and is the easiest to produce on Mars.
The United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rockets and SpaceX’s Starship rockets also use this fuel.
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