Current:Home > StocksA 3D-printed rocket launched successfully but failed to reach orbit -Wealth Empowerment Academy
A 3D-printed rocket launched successfully but failed to reach orbit
View
Date:2025-04-17 19:42:27
A rocket made almost entirely of printed metal parts made its debut launch Wednesday night, but failed after three minutes of flight — far short of reaching orbit.
The uncrewed vessel, Terran 1, blasted off on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Fla., before crashing back down into the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch still marks a giant leap for its maker, California-based startup Relativity Space, and for the future of inexpensive space travel. About 85% of the rocket — including its nine engines — is 3D-printed at the company's factory in Long Beach, Calif.
The plan for the test mission was to send Terran 1 into a 125-mile-high (200-kilometer) orbit for a few days before plunging back through the atmosphere, incinerating itself on the way down.
The rocket did undergo a successful liftoff, completing Stage 1 separation and meeting Max Q (a state of maximum dynamic pressure) as planned. But in Stage 2, the engine appeared to lose ignition, causing Terran 1 to plummet prematurely.
The company said Wednesday's liftoff was still a "huge win, with many historic firsts," and that it would sift through the flight data to determine what went wrong.
Ahead of the launch, Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis told NPR that getting to test mission viability alone is a testament to the versatility of printing rocket parts.
"The 3D printing technology is a big advantage because we can test and iterate and then reprint and rebuild changes in the design very quickly, with fewer limitations on factory tooling and traditional manufacturing techniques," he said.
Relativity Space is trying to cash in on the booming satellite industry — a hot market right now, thanks to companies that are sending thousands of satellites into orbit to blanket the globe with internet access. Relativity says it's already secured $1.7 billion in customer contracts.
"With the emergence of mega-constellations, we've seen the commercial share of the market outpace the growth of military satellites or science satellites so that they have become the driving force for launch," said Caleb Henry, director of research for space and satellite industry research firm Quilty Analytics.
But for its inaugural test mission, Relativity sent only a keepsake: one of its first 3D-printed rocket parts from an earlier failed design.
It's the third launch attempt for the rocket, whose mission has been dubbed GLHF, short for "Good Luck, Have Fun." A previous launch planned for Terran earlier this month was aborted at the last minute due to a temperature issue with an upper section of the rocket. A second attempt was scrubbed due to weather and technical concerns.
Relativity Space is already designing its next rocket, one that can carry heavier payloads, as it works toward its plan to create a rocket that's 95% 3D-printed materials.
veryGood! (7574)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Bad weather cited in 2 fatal Nebraska plane crashes minutes apart
- Yankee Candle Doorbuster Sale: Save 40% on Almost Everything — Candles, ScentPlug, Holiday Gifts & More
- Playoff baseball in Cleveland: Guardians clinch playoff spot in 2024 postseason
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Colin Farrell is a terrifying Batman villain in 'The Penguin': Review
- National Pepperoni Pizza Day 2024: Get deals at Domino's, Papa Johns, Little Caesars, more
- Attorneys hope Netflix's 'Mr. McMahon' will 'shed light' on WWE CEO's alleged abuse
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this fall, from 'Wolfs' to 'Salem's Lot'
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Whoa! 'Golden Bachelorette' first impression fails, including that runaway horse
- Colin Farrell is a terrifying Batman villain in 'The Penguin': Review
- George Kittle injury update: Is 49ers TE playing in Week 3?
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Not Just a Teen Mom: Inside Jamie Lynn Spears' Impressively Normal Private World Since Leaving Hollywood Behind
- Playoff baseball in Cleveland: Guardians clinch playoff spot in 2024 postseason
- Detroit Red Wings, Moritz Seider agree to 7-year deal worth $8.55 million per season
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
Whoa! 'Golden Bachelorette' first impression fails, including that runaway horse
Rare G.K. Chesterton essay on mystery writing is itself a mystery
‘They try to keep people quiet’: An epidemic of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
GM recalling more than 449,000 SUVs, pickups due to issue with low brake fluid warning light
Giant, flying Joro spiders make creepy arrival in Pennsylvania just in time for Halloween
How RHOC's Heather Dubrow and Alexis Bellino Are Creating Acceptance for Their LGBT Kids