Recently, the British Orbex Aerospace Company is manufacturing a commercial orbital rocket Prime, which is an optimized blend of lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum-based composite materials, which is 30% lighter than other rockets of the same model. This key technology provides technical support for important tasks such as the launch of small satellites by Orbex's future space port and the launch of a dedicated ride-sharing mission for new customer TriSept.
Orbex has an 18-meter high-speed carbon fiber winding machine at its headquarters in Scotland. This equipment can automatically complete the rapid weaving of complex mixtures to produce the main rocket structure. In addition, a full-size autoclave is installed to handle the main Large-scale rocket components such as fuel tanks, which have been equipped with extreme environments including space that withstands up to 500 times the atmospheric pressure. Due to the use of advanced hybrid materials of carbon fiber and aluminum-based composite materials, each rocket of Orbex Prime weighs only 1.5 metric tons, which will be 30% lighter than rockets of the same model and can accelerate from 0 to 1330 km/ within 60 seconds. h.
Orbex Prime uses the integrated molding technology of the 3D printed rocket engine, which can greatly reduce the risk of defects caused by structural connections. In addition, compared with kerosene-based rocket fuel, Prime uses clean burning biopropane to provide fuel, which can reduce carbon emissions by 90%. Moreover, the design of the Orbex Prime rocket can be reused multiple times without leaving orbital debris.
Orbex CEO Chris Larmour claims: "We are manufacturing rockets in an unprecedented way. It is already an outdated method to produce heavy metal rockets by robotic assembly lines that cost hundreds of millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands of employees. Establishing a modern space business means It requires a faster, more agile, and more flexible manufacturing concept, which is what Orbex is doing."