Is 3D Printing Rockets The Future Of Space Exploration?
A new company is revolutionizing the aerospace industry by 3D printing rockets. The number of rockets launched in the past years has grown exponentially. Last year, 145 rockets launched out into space, most carrying satellite payload but several deploying spacecraft on solar exploration missions. The number is only expected to grow this year.
Building things in space is complicated. 3D printing in space is a solution that responds to the nature of space and the difficulty of taking up raw materials, tools, and man-pówer. NASA is already testing 3D printing technology, including health research 3D printers, organ 3D printers, and even 3D printed habitats for Mars.
Related: NASA Wants To 3D-Print Human Organs In Space & It's Ready To Start Testing
Relativity is building rockets from the ground up using only 3D printing. They are not only 3D printing the fuselage but all parts of the rockets. From payload ferrying components to guidance, structure, propulsion, fuel tanks, and even engines, Relativity 3D prints it all. Traditional rocket building can take years, cost billions, and requires hundreds of thousands of parts, special tools and platforms, and an army of workers. Relativity says their rockets can be built in 60 days in a fully automated construction factory, and the costs can drop from 5 to 10 to even 100.
While the automotive industry has advanced in robotics and automated factories, the aerospace industry has remained unchanged since the days of the Apollo missions. Rocket and spacecraft factories still rely on thousands of workers who hand-build and put together thousands of parts. A rocket-like NASA's superheavy Space Launch System SLS, which will take humans back to the Moon, took 11 years to develop and
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