From Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Terran 1 rocket of the startup Relativity Spacehas managed to take off successfully. It is a true milestone for being the first 3D printed rocket to fly. He has done so for three minutes, after which time the engine has presented an anomaly and has caused him to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. The goal of entering orbit has not been achieved, but “achieving a milestone like this is an absolute fact,” says Santiago Martín Iglesias, head of the prototype laboratory at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and professor in the Master’s in Printing 3D and Advanced Factory of the EDDM Training.

What was achieved on Tuesday night happens after two failed attempts to launch the rocket, one on March 8 and another on March 11. The first, due to problems in the temperature of the rocket propellant; the second, because the engines shut down just before takeoff. The director of EDDM Engineering Education, Alfonso Denia, adds: “It is a fundamental milestone in the use of 3D printing in the space sector.”

Relativity Space has launched the world’s largest 3D-printed metal object. The Terran 1 is 35 meters tall and is capable of carrying up to two tons of weight. 85% of its structure is 3D printed, but the company wants to raise that percentage to 95%. Its success confirms that 3D printing is here to stay in the space industry.

“Apart from making pieces viable that are almost impossible,” explains Martín Iglesias, who specifies: “With 3D printing We also achieve, at the same time, faster development timesmuch more agile and, in many cases, even cheaper”. This technology also allows building using up to 100 fewer parts than with other methods.

“And what is very important, with an independence of the supply chainthe raw material, which is being a major problem globally”, says Alfonso Denia. Therefore, it is not a matter of the future, nor is it necessary to go very far to see this technology put into operation. In Spain, the company PLD Space it is already using it in the development of its next and innovative Miura 5.