Rocket With 3D Printed Inconel Engine Launched

University of California San Diego Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS UCSD) announced that they successfully launched the Vulcan-1 rocket on May 21, 2016 at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site in Mojave, CA.

Some delays were initially experienced, but the 3d printed rocket engine was launched successfully in windy conditions. This achievement makes them the first university group to design, create, and launch a rocket powered by a completely 3D printed engine.

Vulcan-1 is 19 feet long, 8 inches in diameter, and capable of producing 750 lbs of thrust. The rocket was powered with a combination of liquid oxygen (LOx) and refined kerosene and used a cryogenic, bi-propellant, liquid-fueled blow down system. The rocket engine was 3D printed in inconel 718.

The Vulcan-1 project began in 2014 and quickly grew into a team of over 60 student engineers. The team fabricated and tested the rocket at Open Source Maker Labs, which provided equipment and support for the project. SEDS UCSD also received mentor support from NASA, XCOR, Open Source Maker Labs, and many other groups in the space industry.

“This sort of technology has really come to fruition in the last few years. This is proof of concept that if students at the undergraduate level could drive down the costs of building these engines, we could actually fly rockets and send up payload that is cheaper and more efficient,” said Darren Charrier, the group’s incoming president. “One day, we’d like to see this technology being implemented on large-scale rockets, which means that we could send satellites to provide internet for developing countries, we could mine asteroids, perhaps even go colonize Mars.”