3-D Printing Rockets

Here is an example of where technological advancement feeds into more enhancements.

There is no doubt that many have their eyes set on space. Barely a week goes by without some news of an additional project being announced.

Of course, there is the ongoing desires that SpaceX has. In addition to the releasing of Starlink, it also is setting its goal on Mars. NASA is looking to the Moon. Virgin Galactic wants to be the leader in space tourism providing flights to wealthy customers.

This does not include the projects that the Chinese and Europeans have planned.

Of course, one of the biggest innovations was SpaceX being able to reuse their rockets. This significantly reduced the cost of a launch.

It is a move that is already increasing the pace of space launches. If prices continue to fall, we will see the concept explode.

Relativity Space looks to take this a step further. Instead of using conventional rocket construction, this company is 3D printing their rockets. It seeks to 3D print 95% of the rocket.

Why would they want to do this?

Like most things that are 3D printed, it bring the cost down. They are also able to dramatically reduce the number of parts.

The company says 3D printing benefits—like vastly simplified designs that can only be achieved additively, accelerated prototyping, and design flexibility—apply too. They’ve been able to cut the number of parts in a rocket from upwards of 60,000 to 730 and significantly dial back development lead times.

The last part is really going to change things if it comes into being. Being able to launch rockets more frequently is something all are trying to do.

Relativity is still in prototype stage, looking to launch its first rocket in 2021.

Of course, this is all the first phase. The ultimate goal is to perfect the technology and send it printers to Mars.

Whatever the benefits on Earth, Relativity also has its eyes on Mars. Far from Earth’s factories and supply chains, the advantages are clear. Relativity’s moonshot is to perfect their machines to the point they can send printers and raw materials to Mars and simply print return rockets (and perhaps much more) on site.

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Here is a quick video of what the printing looks like.

This is an example of the interconnectivity of technology. We might see a space explosion (no pun intended) due to the technological advancements in 3D printing. Something like this could further reduce the costs of rocket building while also creating more of them.

Ultimately, some see rocket launches being similar like airline flights. To get there, we are going to have to be able to send people and cargo to space for a fraction of the cost what it required today. Even though SpaceX seriously reduced the cost, it is still nowhere near cost effective for mainstream use.

The company is evidently getting on the radar of some fairly powerful people.

Reports are Jeff Bezos visited the headquarters earlier in the month. He has his Blue Origin project that seeks to take on SpaceX. Thus far, his company is falling behind.

One advantage that Bezos brings to the table is money. Relativity has raised $685 million in funding rounds to date. Bezos is said to sell $1 billion worth of Amazon stock a month to fund Blue Origin.

While it is unclear what Bezos interest is, we can presume that he is in need of something to try and close the gap with SpaceX. So far, that company is lapping the rest of the field in the space race.