U.K. company introduces space vehicle powered by world’s largest one

The engine on the Orbex Prime launch vehicle was 3D-printed on an SLM 800 powder-bed machine.

Orbex has introduced an orbital launch vehicle designed to deliver small satellites into Earth's orbit. According to the Forres, Scotland, company, its Prime launcher will be powered by the world's largest 3D-printed monolithic rocket engine.

The engine was printed on an SLM®800 powder-bed printer from SLM Solutions, which is located in Lübeck, Germany, and has a U.S. office in Wixom, Mich. The large-format metal additive manufacturing system features a 260- by 500-mm bed that can build parts 800 mm high, allowing the Prime engine to be built as a single piece from a special nickel alloy.

The printer integrates contactless powder handling and automated build-chamber conveyors to transfer the finished part to an unpacking station designed to remove powder. SLM Solutions devised a powder-removal strategy for the build process to ensure as much powder was removed from the build as possible while reducing material loss.

The Prime launcher's architecture eliminates the fundamental mass challenge of other small launchers, says Orbex. The completed engineering prototype of the Stage 2 rocket (the stage that will transit into orbital flight after launch) is made from a specially formulated, lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminium composite. It reportedly is up to 30 percent lighter and 20 percent more efficient than other vehicles in the small-launcher category.

The Prime vehicle will launch satellites to altitudes up to 1,250 km (775 miles), inserting them into sun-synchronous or polar orbits. Orbex has received £30 million ($40 million) in public and private funding from sources for the project.