The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched a liquid rocket engine that was created using additive manufacturing - a method of creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer, or in other words 3D printing. This is expected to stimulate the development of the country's space industry.
Tests of the engine created on a 3D printer took place on May 9. The device, which burns a hypergolic mixture of nitrogen tetroxide and monomethylhydrazine, runs for 665 seconds, which is a great achievement for scientists. Such engines are used in India's Polar Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
ISRO noted that the use of additive technologies made it possible to reduce the number of engine parts from 14 to 1. Therefore, it was possible to remove 19 welded joints from the design, as well as significantly save on raw materials for production. In addition to this, the 3D printing approach reduces engine manufacturing time by 60%.
To recall that the 44-meter PSLV launch vehicle is one of the tools for delivering cargo into orbit along with LVM-3, another Indian rocket. PSLV can launch up to 1,750 kg payload into sun-synchronous polar orbits at an altitude of 600 km. New engine technology could increase the speed of space launches. India also has ambitious plans for manned spaceflight, including landing astronauts on the moon and establishing a satellite base on Earth by 2047.