The launch of the first 3D-printed rocket, scheduled for Saturday from Cape Canaveral in Florida, has again been postponed due to technical problems, but the machine appears “in good condition,” the manufacturer said.
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This maiden flight has been closely scrutinized because, if successful, it could help revolutionize the launch vehicle industry.
The rocket, named Terran 1, is being developed by Relativity Space. The shooting window stretched from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., but after several attempts the start was postponed.
The unmanned rocket’s engines were firing when an “automation problem” forced the company to abort the launch. Another attempt was made shortly after, but the launch was aborted again due to pressure issues on the rocket’s second stage, the company tweeted.
“The team gave everything today and we will do the same for the next attempt. More information will follow on the new launch date,” she wrote, after affirming that “after an initial analysis of the data, the vehicle is in good condition.”
During the shooting window, the countdown was also halted when a private boat entered the safe zone.
A first attempt to start on Wednesday was canceled at the last minute due to a technical problem.
The aim of the first test flight is to prove that the machine can withstand the pressure of a launch and to gain as much data as possible for the further development of these cheaper and easier to manufacture rockets, the company says. .
Overall, 85% of the rocket’s mass was 3D printed, and the company is aiming for 95% in the future.
The advantages are manifold: Reduction of costs and simplification of the manufacturing process with greater flexibility at the same time. With its large 3D printing robots, the company claims to divide the number of parts by 100 compared to a conventional rocket. It also highlights the speed of the process: 60 days from raw material to finished product.
The Terran 1 rocket is 33.5 meters tall and just over 2 meters in diameter. Its first stage has nine motors, also 3D printed, and its second stage has one motor.
It uses Methalox as fuel, a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas (essentially methane). Should it succeed in reaching Earth orbit on Saturday, it would be the first rocket to use this fuel to do so.
Relativity Space, which has a long-term vision to participate in the development of a multiplanetary humanity, argues that it is the fuel of “the future” and easiest to produce on Mars.
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rockets under development and SpaceX’s Starship rockets are also said to use this fuel.
The Terran 1 rocket must be capable of delivering 1,250 kg into low Earth orbit. But this first flight does not carry a payload.
Relativity Space is also developing a larger rocket, Terran R, capable of delivering 20,000 kg into low orbit. A start date is not expected before 2024.
The Long Beach-based company has already signed $1.65 billion in deals, according to Tim Ellis, the young head of the company he co-founded in 2015.
Most of these contracts concern the largest rocket, Terran R. One of them was signed with the company OneWeb, which wants to provide Internet access from space thanks to a constellation of satellites.
This type of medium rocket “is clearly the most important market opportunity for the rest of the decade as there is currently a major shortage in this payload class,” Tim Ellis tweeted Tuesday.
A satellite operator can wait years before getting a seat on the big Arianespace or SpaceX rockets. Dozens of startups have entered the small and medium-sized rocket market in recent years to meet demand.