--- title: "UK Startup Shows Off World’s Largest 3D Printed Rocket Engine" description: "UK space startup Orbex just showed off the design of its 3D-printed second stage for its Prime Rocket." date: "2019-02-08" modified: "2019-02-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/orbex-3d-printed-rocket-engine" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "3d printing" - "private space industry" - "rocket" - "SpaceX" --- # UK Startup Shows Off World’s Largest 3D Printed Rocket Engine ![]() *\Image: Orbex\* ## 3D Printed Rockets We've seen 3D printed rockets [before](), but never on this scale. UK space startup Orbex just showed off its Prime Rocket's gigantic second stage — the "world's largest 3D printed rocket engine," according to a [press release](). The entire rocket, including the engine, will stand at 56 feet (17 meters) tall — roughly a quarter of the size of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, for context. In other words, things are heating up in the world of 3D printed spacecraft. https://twitter.com/orbexspace/status/1093566647720390656 ## Seamless The news comes weeks after U.S.-based startup Relativity Space [signed a contract]() with the U.S. Air Force to launch their 3D printed rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Orbex worked with aerospace engineer veterans from organizations including NASA and the European Space Association to build the Stage 2 rocket, which is the part of a multi-stage rocket that pushes a spacecraft into orbit after a launch from Earth. The startup claims it's the first time a 3D printed rocket engine was "uniquely manufactured in a single piece without joins." That means the rocket is up to 30 percent lighter and 20 percent more efficient than other small launchers. No welds or joins also means that the rocket could withstand extreme temperature and pressure fluctuations better. The rocket is also designed to use bio-propane, a "clean-burning, renewable fuel source that cuts carbon emissions by 90 percent." ## 3D Printed Future Orbex has already made major strides, choosing the yet-to-be-built [spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland]() last year for its upcoming first launch in 2021. The company also partnered with Swiss satellite tech startup [Astrocast]() to launch 64 nanosatellites to build a global Internet of Things network. It's yet another sign that the private space sector is growing — and at an unrelenting pace. 3D printing technology could push it even further ahead. **READ MORE:** [Take a look at the world's largest 3D-printed rocket engine]() \[*Engadget*\] ***More on 3D printed rockets:** [U.S. Air Force Approves Launch Site for 3D Printed Rocket]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()