NASA has been experimenting with 3D printing for some time now, but their latest project represents a major advancement in the use of 3D printing for rocket parts.
Building one rocket injector typically takes NASA 163 parts to manufacture, a number that was reduced to 2 parts in the 3D-printed rocket injector the agency recently tested.
Rocket injectors are responsible for shooting fuel into a rocket engine so while it would be wonderful to reduce costs with 3D-printing, reliability is paramount.
NASA’s 3D printed rocket injector was able to survive a 6,000-degree Fahrenheit test-firing at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and NASA caught it all on video.
Watch the 3D printed rocket injector come to life:
