The commissioning of a new multi metal 3D printer in Melbourne as part of the iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative is set to make space missions more affordable and efficient by creating lighter, faster and more robust aerospace components. The Nikon SLM-280 (Selective Laser Melting) at CSIRO’s Lab22 facility will print metals side-by-side in one continuous print.…
MGA Thermal’s blocks go a simulated decade Thermal energy storage company MGA Thermal has announced successful simulation of ten years’ working life for its MGA Blocks. The Blocks are used to store and discharge heat, use a purpose-designed miscibility gap alloy, and are being rapidly cycled to help inform customers what to expect from storage,…
The iLAuNCH (Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics) Trailblazer project will apply the design flexibility and speed of additive manufacturing technology to develop large-scale carbon composite structures for rockets. Launch vehicles will require scalable production of low weight and high strength structures and components that can withstand the extreme loads, vibrations and shocks…
A group of researchers and companies are using the iLAuNCH Trailblazer programme to develop and space qualify a new optical manufacturing process and materials for space flight applications and demonstrate it in a camera in space. The University of South Australia (UniSA) with SMR Australia and VPG Innovation, part of Stärke-AMG, will utilise an emerging…
The Optimus OSV Spacecraft, the largest Australian-built commercial spacecraft, is to be qualified for space where it will deliver transport and service capabilities in orbit. Space Machines Company is building the Optimus Platform which will now face rigorous test procedures to qualify for the space environment before heading to orbit in early 2024. In in…
The iLAuNCH Trailblazer has announced that its next project involves The Australian National University and industry partner New Frontier Technologies and aims to reduce weight in satellites through “additive manufacturing of lightweight and thermally stable composite structures”. In a statement on Tuesday, iLAuNCH (Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics) said the solution would…
Queensland researchers involved in the development of hypersonic systems have travelled to US for NASA-led observation of a capsule’s re-entry On September 24, a NASA capsule containing a sample of asteroid matter will make its return to Earth – with the characteristics of the capsule’s re-entry into the atmosphere at greater than Mach 5 speeds…
The iLAuNCH Trailblazer project, universities and industry partners are to establish a manufacturing facility to utilise additive manufacturing techniques to print more durable satellites and hypersonic space vehicle structures. The Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) programme, funded by the Department of Education, has linked with South Australian universities and Adelaide-based advanced…
