A 3D-printed rocket built in 60 days tried reaching space... then this happened

Relativity Space's Terran 1 rocket took flight designed and built by the company, experienced a failure during its launch from a Cape Canaveral, Florida launchpad on Wednesday night. The demonstration mission, which did not have any people or customer payload onboard, suffered a problem with the rocket's second stage, according to Clay Walker, the launch director for Relativity Space. The company has not provided any additional details on the issue.

3-D Printed Rocket

Powered by nine 3-D printed engines, Terran 1 was supposed to become the first rocket launched into orbit that used liquid methane as its fuel. During the webcast of the flight, the rocket was seen rising on a column of white flame that flared blue as it lifted off into space. However, about four minutes into the flight, the rocket's first stage dropped away, and the anomaly with the second stage occurred.

Relativity Space

Relativity Space is one of many new companies that are manufacturing and testing small-lift launch vehicles, which are rockets that can carry payloads of around two tons or less to low-Earth orbit. Terran 1, which is 110 feet tall, was considered a "small launch" rocket and is meant to be a precursor to a much larger, reusable launcher called Terran R, which the company hopes to start testing soon.

Relativity Space has developed massive 3-D printers in Long Beach, California, to craft engines and other parts using metal alloys that can withstand the heat and pressure of ignited rocket fuel. 3-D printers, which convert code into physical objects, allow engineers to quickly move from design to testing, which is not possible with traditional manufacturing processes.

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Composition of Terran 1

About 85 per cent of the mass of Terran 1 was made using 3-D printers, which means each rocket can be crafted from nothing in just 60 days. Relativity Space treats 3-D printers as a one-stop-shop for almost all of its rockets, unlike traditional rockets that rely on hydrogen or kerosene for fuel, Terran 1 and other rockets by the company use liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants.

Investors have been pouring money into new spaceflight companies, such as Relativity Space, that have interplanetary ambitions. Last year, the company announced that it would team up with another company called Impulse Space to send a private space mission to Mars, aiming to beat SpaceX's plan to go to the red planet. However, many spaceflight companies experience difficulties during their early attempts to reach orbit, and established rocket builders also lose new rockets on their first flight.

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