14 DAY TRIAL // Broadband carriers, television companies and various government and non-governmental organizations have been launching satellites into space for decades, but the first one to feature 3D printed parts was only sent out this week.
Students at the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University have designed a satellite made with 3D printed parts.
The satellite (CubeSat type) was made with help from Kentucky Space, which managed and coordinated the launch itself.
The name of the satellite is KySat-2, while the rocket that carried it into space was of the Minotaur 1 type.
CRP Technologies, through the sub-company CRP USA, produced five Windform XT 2.0 parts for the cube-sat, using the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process.
In case you don't know, Windform XT 2.0 is a very specialized material filled with carbon fiber. It provides as good a mechanical performance as satellites can have, being tough but also very light.
Just the fact that it was possible to 3D print from it is an achievement. That sufficient components were made and brought together in a working satellite just makes things better.
It's not clear how long the KySat will last though. It could be a few months, it could be a year, it could be more, we're not sure.
Even the team that made and launched it into space isn't certain. Usually, a Cube-Sat lasts for one year, but with KySat-2, it can go in any direction.
Among the 3D printed components, there is the camera system that acts as a Stellar Gyro (an altitude determination system in other words).
The mounting hardware for the camera system was 3D printed to be exact, as were clips for holding the antennas in stowed positions, extensions for the separation switches, and the mounting bracket for the on-board batteries.
“There were several 3D printed components on the KySat-2,” said Twyman Clements, KySat-2 project manager at Kentucky Space. “The process and the material were critical to achieve the right components for KySat-2.”
No doubt, other companies will take their cue from Kentucky Space and start to use 3D printed parts in their own drones. After 30 years since the invention of 3D printing, and the sudden spike in popularity and human awareness of the past three, it's inevitable that the manufacturing technique will catch on.
Granted, the contribution of 3D printing tech to KySat-2 was pretty minor, but if it's possible to 3D print the entire frame of a car, it should, eventually be possible to do the same for the body of a satellite too.
