3D printing plays a big part in keeping these rockets low cost, and Bloostar is about to get a 3D printed engine, with support from the Advanced Center for Aerospace Technology (FADA-CATEC). The organization has successfully 3D printed a combustion chamber for the engine – using a Renishaw RenAM 500M system in the process – reducing not only cost but mass, environmental impact and production time.
Bloostar’s engine is called Teide, after the highest mountain in Spain, an inactive volcano. Teide is located in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, from which Bloostar will be launched. The first stage is a balloon that brings the rocket high enough that aerodynamic resistance is almost nonexistent, above 99% of the mass of the atmosphere. Compared to ground- or aircraft-based launchers, this method has a number of advantages – for one, the engines work more efficiently in near vacuum. Therefore, Teide has a unique design made to be launched from a high altitude, and is the most eco-friendly engine designed to date.Artificial intelligence and neural networks will be used to optimize the cooling of the thrust chamber via structures that cannot be manufactured by any other means.
“Traditional rockets have had straight cooling channels because that’s all that could be manufactured,” said Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales, founder and CEO of Zero 2 Infinity. “When you put a flashlight in your ear, you see a wonderful tree-like structure of blood vessels. We don’t have straight rows of blood vessels in our ears. 3D printing and AI now allow rockets to evolve, like nature.”
“It’s amazing to work with a company like Zero 2 Infinity,” said Dr. Fernando Lasagni, HO Materials & Processes division at FADA-CATEC. “It’s something we were willing to do for a long time. We are committed to foster this development and hopefully we will have a fully tested part on relevant environment in short time.”
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