The 3D printed Terran 1 rocket failed to reach orbit

sarahjay1 (69)memberin Popular STEM • last year

(Relativity Space https://bit.ly/40cFAXC)

The first test launch of a ultralight Terran 1 rocket, most of whose components are made on a metal 3D printer, ended with mixed results.

According to the private company, the rocket did get Max Q (one of its goals), but it couldn’t reach orbit.

The reason for this was the failure of the second stage engine.

The Terran 1 was the first rocket developed by Relativity Space, a private space company founded in 2015.

This is an ultra-light two-stage launch vehicle, 35 meters high and 2.3 meters in diameter.

The first stage of the rocket is equipped with nine Aeon 1 engines, and the second stage only has one.

Liquid methane and liquid oxygen are used as fuel and oxidizer.

Terran 1 is capable of launching up to 1250-1500 kilograms of payload into low Earth orbit and up to 900 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit.

90% of the rocket's dry mass is metal components created using additive technologies.

As planned by the company, this should reduce the cost and simplify the process of creating rockets, including the future Terran R rocket.

This new rocket should be more powerful and reusable.

BAD LUCK, HAD FUN
The first launch of the Terran 1 under the “Good Luck, Have Fun” program was originally scheduled for early March 2023, but was postponed twice.

The rocket was equipped with a non-separable nose fairing, inside which was a symbolic payload: a 16.5-cm 3D-printed aluminum ring with the company logo.

On March 22, the Terran 1 was successfully launched from the pad at the US Space Force Base at Cape Canaveral.

The rocket successfully passed the Max-Q point, when the load on the structure is maximum, then the first and second stages successfully separated.

However, in the end, after 3 minutes of flight, the Terran 1 was unable to reach orbit due to a malfunction in the second stage engine.

Sources: