Relativity Space has just launched what is described in the scientific circles as the world's first 3D-printed rocket. About 85 percent of the approximately 110-foot-tall rocket, named Terran-1, was produced using additive manufacturing techniques, also called 3D printing, on the world's largest 3D printer. The company said its ultimate aim was to have over 95 percent of the rocket 3D-printed.
Terran-1 lifted off for the first time from Launch Complex 16 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a mission that took place at 8.25PM EST on March 22, but failed to reach a suitable height to be able to circle Earth, which is known as orbiting. But that does not minimise the importance of Terran-1 whatsoever.
Explainer: Terran-1 rocket
Terran-1 is a small launch vehicle which was developed by Relativity Space, a US aerospace manufacturing company. It is the world's first rocket built using 3D-printed alloy in fewer than 60 days.
The rocket was equipped with hand-prepped multi-jet fusion (MJF) parts. It was primed and painted using automotive-grade paint and a urethane clear coat. The spacecraft, fuelled by extremely cold liquid methane and oxygen rather than the traditional choice of something like kerosene, liquid hydrogen, alcohol, or hydrazine and its derivatives- emitted a vibrant blue-green glow in the nighttime sky.
Most rockets that are powered by liquid chemicals use two different propellants: fuel and oxidizer. Other than the traditional choices mentioned above, many other fuels have been tested and used. Oxidizers often include nitric acid, liquid oxygen, liquid fluorine and nitrogen tetroxide. Some very efficient oxidizers are liquefied gases, like oxygen and fluorine, which retain their liquid properties only at extremely low temperatures causing problems in them being used in rockets.
この記事は Geopolitics の April 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Geopolitics の April 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
THE NEW WAVE OF MARINE LANDING CRAFT.
BAE Systems' new Littoral Strike Craft combines advanced stealth, comfort, and modularity to redefine modern amphibious mission capabilities.
PROVEN AIP FOR S80 SUBMARINES
The BEST AIP system is capable of operating at any depth and in all operational conditions, allowing it to adapt to any Navy mission and making it the most advanced AIP system on the market.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF AI SECURE, SCALABLE, AND INNOVATIVE
Tardid leverages modular AI designs, robust cybersecurity, and adaptability to deliver secure and scalable solutions, integrating emerging technologies and refining strategies through realworld deployments, shares AASTHA VERMA, Chief Operating Officer, Tardid Technologies, with Geopolitics
TOT-AN IMPERATIVE FOR SUBMARINE MANUFACTURING
India's transition from offset strategies to fostering self-reliance through technology transfer (TOT) and local assembly highlights the significance of global collaborations like thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in shaping a robust, indigenised defence ecosystem, a perspective shared by KHALIL RAHMAN, CEO, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems India.
ENHANCING INDIAN NAVAL AVIATION
JYOTI SINGH reports how a powerful Indian naval air arm will prove to be the biggest seabased conventional level deterrence, both for the tactical and strategic battlefields
PROJECT-751-30 YEARS ON
India's ambitious Project-751, aimed at procuring six advanced submarines, remains stalled nearly three decades after its inception.
WINGS OVER THE OCEAN
Indian Naval Aviation is dramatically upgrading its combat potency with its latest inductions, writes Atul Chandra
HOW INDIA IS RESHAPING REGIONAL DETERRENCE, MARITIME DOMINANCE
In the theatre of modern geopolitics, control over the seas is synonymous with strategic dominance. With its vast coastline and critical position in the Indo-Pacific, India has always recognised the importance of maritime strength, outlines GIRISH LINGANNA
BUILDERS NAVY
The Indian Navy's modernisation efforts are picking up steam, with domestic shipyards running at full capacity, reports MIKE RAJKUMAR
THE NAVY'S NEED FOR SUBMARINES
While aircraft carriers have their place, submarines provide India with a more flexible, cost-effective, and survivable option for projecting power and maintaining deterrence in a complex and evolving strategic environment, argues AMIT GUPTA
