MT Magazine November/December 2025

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025

FEATURE STORY

17

years ago, but neither did many of their customers, who are now putting satellites and other payloads into orbit. This presents a whole new suite of opportunities for suppliers – and for people interested in manufacturing. For instance, Relativity Space, which was established in 2016, launched the Terran 1 rocket on March 22, 2023. This is notable, as it became the first 3D printed rocket to reach space. Measuring 110 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide, Terran 1 was the largest 3D printed object to exist at the time – with 85% of its mass 3D printed – and it went into space. The Relativity Space factory floor in Long Beach, California, boasts routers, lathes, machining centers, and other CNC equipment, as well as tools for vertical and circumferential friction welding. It also uses powder bed fusion and a proprietary wire arc additive manufacturing system to build components for its Aeon R engines. The engines will be used to power the Terran R rocket, which is scheduled to launch in 2026. Another company, Firefly Aerospace, which was established in 2017 near Austin, Texas, focuses on designing, engineering, and manufacturing small- and medium-lift launch vehicles. Like many newer companies in the field, Firefly uses advanced manufacturing technologies to produce its products.

This past April, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base awarded Firefly a contract based on Firefly’s expertise in carbon fiber composite technology. The company will develop a ceramic matrix composite nozzle extension for liquid rocket engines. These nozzle extensions have traditionally been made of metal. According to Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly: “As we’ve seen with Firefly’s carbon composite barrels, domes, and tanks, composites provide a cost-efficient, lightweight solution that improves performance.” Not only do they anticipate a reduction in mass of more than 50%, but they also note a significant reduction in lead time. To be sure, there are many more startups and legacy aerospace companies. But what’s interesting about companies like Relativity Space and Firefly is that their approach to design, engineering, and manufacturing takes advantage of materials and methods that are rooted in advanced technology (and even science fiction) – the kind of approach that breaks from the “dirty” factories of the past and could attract a whole new generation of manufacturing professionals.

Many of the component parts for the Aeon R rocket engine were 3D printed by Relativity Space in Long Beach, California. Stage 1 of the Terran R spacecraft will use 13 of these engines. (Image: Relativity Space)

The Final Frontier Another area of transport – not exactly transportation – is growing, and, importantly, it is the kind of thing that would attract younger generations who may see working in manufacturing as dirty and dull. In the aerospace field, some startups are manufacturing in innovative ways. Not only did these companies not exist 20

If you have any questions about this article, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.