First 3D-printed rocket lifts off but fails to reach orbit

By Agence France-Presse

Mar 23, 2023 12:34 pm

THE world's first 3D-printed rocket was launched successfully on Wednesday, marking a step forward for the California company behind the innovative spacecraft, though it failed to reach orbit.

Billed as less costly to produce and fly, the unmanned Terran 1 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:25 p.m. (0325 GMT Thursday) but suffered an 'anomaly' during second-stage separation as it streamed towards low Earth orbit, according to a livestream broadcast by aerospace startup Relativity Space.

THIRD LAUNCH This handout screengrab provided by Relativity Space on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 (Thurday in Manila), shows the third launch attempt of the first 3D printed rocket, Terran 1, from Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. RELATIVITY SPACE/AFP

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