Deutsches Raketenflugzeug vor dem Jungfernflug

Wird hier wieder an deutsche Traditionen angeknüpft? Peenemünde? Wernher von Braun? Vorsicht: Satire!

Die Firma hat aber einen Zweitsitz in Peenemünde.

"Die Firma Polaris gibt es erst seit 2019. In diesen wenigen Jahren haben ihre 60 Mitarbeiter ein beachtliches Tempo an den Tag gelegt: Sieben verschiedene kleine Prototypen eines Raketenflugzeugs hat das Unternehmen bereits in niedrigen Flughöhen getestet.

In Kürze soll mit NOVA der vorläufige Höhepunkt dieser Entwicklung an den Start gehen. „NOVA ist ein Demonstrator für ein Überschall-Raketenflugzeug“, erklärt Minal Jain, die Leiterin des Projekts. Dieser Demonstrator soll eine Geschwindigkeit von Mach 2 erreichen. Das entspricht der doppelten Schallgeschwindigkeit, also fast 2500 Kilometern pro Stunde. ..."

Deutsches Raketenflugzeug vor dem Jungfernflug

POLARIS Raumflugzeuge GmbH (Firma website)

Die Tüftler vor ihrem Werk

ZQ-3: China test fires its first reusable heavy rocket

Good news! Competition is good, more competition is better!

"... The latest tests from October 18 to 20 included a full-scale propellant rehearsal and a static-fire test, marking the XQ-3's entry into final flight preparation, with the first flight slated for November or December 2025.

The ZQ-3 is a two-stage launcher that lifts off vertically and the first stage lands vertically. Standing about 216 ft (66 m) tall with a core diameter of 15 ft (4.5 m), it's very similar to Falcon 9, though with methane fuel instead of kerosene for the first stage, and is made of stainless steel rather than aluminum/lithium alloy. Though only slightly smaller than Falcon 9, its reported orbital payload is only about half of the American launcher. ..."

ZQ-3: China’s SpaceX Rival Completes First Static Fire "China showed off its ambitions for space in the 21st century as its first reusable heavy booster, the ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) Y1 from the Landspace company, conducted its first static firing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China."

Texas startup making history with revolutionary rotating detonating rocket engine

Good news!

Relativity Space: This 85% 3-D Printed Rocket Uses the Biggest Metal 3-D Printers Ever

Amazing stuff! The next rocket will be far over 90% 3D printed. This company is also planning a mission to Mars with 3D printed explorer etc.

Launcher shows off its 3D-printed rocket engine doing a full-scale burn

Good news!

"Rocket engines are tough pieces of hardware to build, but it’s possible that 3D printing them could be the next big thing.  ... after demonstrating full thrust on its 3D-printed E-2 engine. ...

The Launcher Light will be small and very efficient, aiming for a low cost to orbit and quick turnaround. ....

Last week saw the first full-scale thrust test of the E-2, down at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The test demonstrated about 22,046 pound-feet of thrust (about 10 metric tons) using LOX/Kerosene at 100 bars of combustion pressure.

This is the thrust they’ve been aiming for in spec sheets and inching toward in other measures, and they reached it “without the hardware melting,” ..."

Launcher shows off its 3D-printed rocket doing a full-scale burn | TechCrunch

How About 3D Printing Entire Space Rockets In 60 Days?

Very interesting! Very impressive!

“To make a rocket 3D-printable, Ellis’s team had to totally rethink the way rockets are designed. As a result, Terran-1 will have 100 times fewer parts than a comparable rocket. Its Aeon engine, for instance, consists of just 100 parts, whereas a typical liquid-fueled rocket would have thousands. ”

“By consolidating parts and optimizing them for 3D printing, Ellis says Relativity will be able to go from raw materials to the launch pad in just 60 days” 

This is breathtaking, mind boggling!

Article:

Massive, AI-Powered Robots Are 3D-Printing Entire Rockets Relativity Space may have the biggest metal 3D printers in the world, and they're cranking out parts to reinvent the rocket industry here—and on Mars.