On Is it possible to print a spacecraft? The answer to this question can be given by experts of the Ukrainian aerospace company Yuzhnoye SDO, who are designing unmanned vehicles of the future. This is not fiction anymore, it’s reality. Today, at the stage of development of modern launch vehicles and spacecraft Yuzhnoye SDO uses additive technologies.

Photo. Tests of the engine of tactical missile complex.

As an example, when creating a new solid propellant rocket engine, most of the parts and elements were made of composite materials and modern thermoplastics that replaced aluminum and titanium. Materials such as Ultem 9085, Ultem 1010 have high quality advantages over metals, that has been proven in practice by repeated testing. In addition, details of these materials can now be obtained by 3D printing. In this regard a production site has been set up at Yuzhnoye SDO this year to implement the latest developments. And the main technological unit of this site is the industrial 3D additive system Stratasys F900. . Furthermore, together with the contractors and with the assistance of the PROSTIR 3D team, Yuzhnoye SDO is developing systems and instruments for spacecraft using additive technologies. For these tasks, it is planned to use the latest high-tech material Antero 800, which was developed by the American company Stratasys.

Currently not only Yuzhnoye SDO but most of the world's aerospace companies, including Space X, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Space, are successfully using additive technologies. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the time of development of modern technology and to achieve new opportunities. Testimony to this is the real launch of the new ATLAS V and Falcon 9 rockets, and the Dragon and Orion spacecraft.

Photo.  The Orion spacecraft hatch is made of Antero material on a Fortus 900 printer.

Sample parts of the spacecraft manufactured using additive technology will be presented at the Arms and Security Exhibition on October 8-11, 2019, at the Yuzhnoye SDO and PROSTIR 3D boothes 3-G41