英国航空航天公司Orbexhas announced the closure of a $46.4 million Series C funding round.
Orbex的Prime Rocket由3D印刷发动机提供动力，将成为英国即将到来的太空中心首次发射的，曾经在苏格兰萨瑟兰开业。使用其新发现的资本，通过由苏格兰国家投资银行，该公司计划在发布之前“扩大资源规模”。加薪还看到它为将来的项目释放了另外1亿美元的资金。
Orbex首席执行官克里斯·拉默（Chris Larmour）说：“我们很高兴关闭了这一新的资金。”“ Orbex取得了重大进展，到了开创性，创新技术的发明，发射车的快速开发和测试，我们在英国的制造业扩展和丹麦的扩展，英国的创建苏格兰大陆的第一轨道太空港以及英国，欧美的客户增长。”
Orbex的主要微型发射器
尽管Orbex成立于2015年，但直到2018年7月，它才退出隐身模式，当时它宣布已筹集了4000万美元的公共和私募股权。从那以后，该公司已同意与美国航空航天竞争对手达成的启动共享协议火箭实验室这将看到其主要火箭从苏格兰的太空中心发射。
Orbex’s 19-meter-tall two-stage micro launcher is designed to propel payloads such as satellites weighing up to 180-kilos into polar orbits. Each of the rockets is powered by seven lightweight propulsion systems, which are built as a single-piece. Initially dubbed the ‘世界上最大的3D印刷火箭引擎,’ and manufactured viaSLM解决方案technology, these biofuel-powered devices are said to have a 96% smaller carbon footprint than fossil-fuel-based competitors.
为了加速生产质量发动机的过程，Orbex委托AMCMto developEurope’s largest industrial 3D printerin February 2021. Through the project, AMCM has set out to deliver a printing suite, complete with post-processing gear and ‘machine vision’ systems, that will facilitate the printing of more than 35 large-scale rocket engine and main stage turbo pump systems every year.
首次启动英国发射
Once opened on the north coast of mainland Scotland, Space Hub Sutherland will become the UK’s inaugural operational spaceport, from which launch firms will fire commercial payloads into low-altitude orientation orbits. Earlier this year, it was announced that Orbex’s Prime rocket is set to be the first launched from the new site, and it applied for a英国民航局2012年初启动许可证。
Orbex以最终形式推出了其主要发射车，现在正在进行集成测试，包括对推进剂罐和发动机进行测试。该公司还正在测试启动程序，例如Prime的推出，强本勃起和加油程序，该程序在首次发布之前将携带由小型卫星开发人员开发的有效载荷Surrey Satellite Technology。
与此同时，Orbex的C系列C资金回合。雅各布斯， 这Danish Green Future Fund和Verve Ventures, takes its total raised to $109.4 million. As well as financing the firm’s upcoming launch activities, the capital unlocks another $100 million tranche of funding over the next two years, paying for other initiatives across its business, including the build of a factory in nearby Moray.
“This is a very exciting time for the Scottish space sector,” added Nicola Douglas, Executive Director of the Scottish National Investment Bank. “This investment is a great example of the Bank working with other investors to support scale-ups in Scotland and aligns with our mission to invest in innovation and the industries of the future.”
“With Orbex, we will have a rocket assembled in Scotland, launching from Scotland and likely transporting satellites built in Scotland into orbit.”
3D打印的火箭发动机起飞
现在，Orbex的Prime单件发动机是在3D打印的帮助下在航空航天领域制造的几个发动机之一。也位于苏格兰，Skyrora有3D打印了火箭引擎for its XL launch vehicle, which completed a 70kN hot-fire test in July 2022 under an ongoing欧洲航天局(ESA) contract.
那个月，北斗星揭开了它的部分3D打印箭头引擎同样，俄罗斯常用的RD-180和RD-181推进系统的液体氧和甲烷期的替代品。设计为“大部分零件”可以是加性制造的，人们认为该发动机将满足美国成立公司的需求，美国成立公司的需求不再能够由于地缘政治紧张局势而无法使用俄罗斯制造的180和181s。
同样，美国私人航空航天发射器passed another testing milestone with its3D打印的E-2液体火箭发动机， 今年早些时候。在NASA的Stennis航天中心， 这test saw the firm’s rocket engine achieve nominal thrust, pressure, and oxidizer/fuel mixture ratio for the first time, and its engineers reportedly found the system in “perfect condition” after 40 seconds of test firing.
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the3D打印行业通讯or follow us on推特or liking our page onFacebook。
当您在这里时，为什么不订阅我们Youtube渠道？包括讨论，汇报，视频短裤和网络研讨会重播。
您是否正在寻找添加剂制造业的工作？访问3D打印作业在行业中选择一系列角色。
特色图像在其发射台上显示了Orbex Prime Rocket原型。通过Orbex摄影。
