To mark the opening of its shiny new headquarters and design facility in Forres, Scotland, Orbex has unveiled details of its new Prime rocket. Conceived to deliver microsatellites into orbit, Prime is the pinnacle of over 40-million dollars worth of investment in developing a commercial space industry in the UK.
Currently an engineering prototype, the piece is claimed by manufacturing partner SLM Solutions to be the largest single-piece printed metal engine. It will serve its purpose as a part of Prime’s stage 2 assembly, which is responsible for transitioning the rocket to orbital flight after launch.
For the production of the engine, Orbex collaborated closely with SLM Solutions, which is based in Lübeck, Germany. “Orbex and SLM Solutions have solved some important puzzle pieces which will change the space business,” says Lukas Pankiewicz, Applications Specialist at SLM Solutions.
In a press release, Orbex explains the advantages of printing a rocket in a single piece. For one, because of the completely new thinking required to design a rocket using additive manufacturing, it has been possible to produce the Prime launcher up to 30% lighter and 20% more efficient than conventional small launchers.
Kickstarting the UK Space Biz
Orbex used an SLM Solutions SLM 800 large-format metal additive manufacturing system to produce the part, in consultation with SLM. Although no dimensions of the part have been publicized, the SLM 800 is capable of printing up to 850 mm tall and 500 mm wide, giving a sense of how large the engine could be.
Strict control tests ensure that the final prototype meets the demands of flight. A necessity, given that the extremes of temperature and pressure experienced in flight can expose weaknesses in joins and welds; a continuously printed part should avoid this risk when fabricated within the required tolerances.
In addition to kickstarting a commercial space industry in the UK, Orbex appears set on doing it responsibly, with the Prime rocket designed to use renewable low-carbon bio-propane fuel. Similarly, orbital debris is to be minimized thanks to the design featuring a novel zero-shock staging and payload separation process.
We’ve yet to see the fury and flames of the Prime test firing, but with a maiden mission planned to launch from Scotland’s new Sutherland spaceport in 2021, we don’t have too long to wait.
Source: Press Release SLM Solutions, Orbex
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