At noon on April 29, 2021, China's first space station core module "Tianhe" was successfully launched, and China officially entered the space station era.
At the same time, at the main forum of the 2021 China Aerospace Conference held on the 24th, Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed that China's small celestial body exploration mission has entered the engineering development stage, and plans to detect the earth's common orbit celestial body 2016HO3 and asteroid 311P. He pointed out that the small celestial body detection mission is a landmark project of a major planetary exploration project and a landmark mission in China's journey to build a powerful space country.
3D printing material manufacturer kexcelled participated in the "Small Space Sample Return Chamber Thermal Protection System" project. This system is used for low-Earth orbit scientific samples or asteroid sampling and return missions to protect the return capsule from landing safely in the process of reentering the earth. Innovative use of 3D printing PEEK structural parts, and at the same time as a structural material and a thermal ablation material for the 20kg class small return cabin structure. It can meet the requirements of space use temperature and material degassing in vacuum environment, and can withstand the rigorous test of maximum heat flow of 100 W/cm2.
"Small space sample return cabin thermal protection system" uses PEEK 3D printing technology to reduce costs by 70% and reduce manufacturing time by 90%. The PEEK 3D printing wire used for the high-layer bonding strength can reach up to 88% of the horizontal direction, the XY-axis tensile strength can reach 96MPa, and the Z-axis direction tensile strength can reach up to 85MPa. Not only can it meet the requirements of aerospace structural parts, but it also has a broad application market in the fields of orthopedics, automotive, consumer electronics and 5G.
The mission of small celestial bodies is of great significance to China's aerospace. For the 3D printing industry, using 3D printing technology to manufacture the key components of the return capsule is both difficult and of great significance. This will prove that domestically produced 3D printing equipment and materials not only have a comparative advantage in prototype manufacturing, but are not lagging behind in the most demanding aerospace applications. At this year's TCT exhibition, KEXCELLED will display full-scale engineering prototypes of the return cabin on site.
It is reported that China's first asteroid probe is planned to be launched in Xichang in May 2022. By then, the probe carrying the 3D printed return capsule will embark on a long journey into space, set foot in a space that humans have never been to, land on asteroids, collect samples and return to Earth. I wish the launch a complete success, "The journey of China's spaceflight is the stars and the sea", and mankind's exploration of the vast universe will never stop. Let's cheer for China's spaceflight.