News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Twin robotic arms work together as part of a project to construct what will be the largest, most complex object ever 3D printed in titanium: a test version of the 3-m diameter ‘optic bench’ at the heart of ESA’s Athena X-ray observatory.
Thales Alenia Space, a French-Italian aerospace manufacturer, has announced the next step in its additive manufacturing adoption: series production. The company, which first began its journey with AM in 2015 with 3D printed aluminum antenna brackets for the TürkmenÄlem/MonacoSAT satellite and polymer tube supports for the Iridium NEXT constellation, will begin turning out 3D printed components for telecom satellites built on its all-electric Spacebus Neo platform.
Relativity Space, an aerospace startup with a focus on 3D printed rockets, recently penned a deal with the U.S. Air Force to begin launching its rockets from the Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Launch Complex 16, also known as LC-16, is something of a historic site: it was built in the late 1950s to launch LGM-25 Titan missiles, was used by NASA for some time and has not seen a launch since 1988’s Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
* This article is reprinted from 3D Printing Media Network. If you are involved in infringement, ple ...
Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, a space transportation company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, has released the latest update about its PGA liquid rocket engine. The engine, named after the billionaire business magnate and philanthropist, is being developed with the help of additive manufacturing and could offer an innovative solution for launching vehicles into space.
In a deal worth €75 million, ESA ArianeGroup signed a contract last week to develop a full-scale demonstrator of the new, ultra-low-cost, reusable rocket engine known as Prometheus. The engine is set to power Europe’s future launchers and makes intensive use of advanced manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing, to keep costs down and performances up.