Today we get the first look inside a working rocket factory in Scotland.
The behind-the-scenes visit at Forres in Moray shows how space company Orbex is creating the next generation of renewable-fuelled orbital launch vehicles.
The company, which has its HQ and production facilities in Forres and design facilities in Denmark, is using advanced engineering and materials in the process.
It also revealed its new Mission Control Centre that will be used to monitor orbital rocket launches from Scotland and other sites, as well as engine tests from its two propulsion test sites.
At its Scottish factory, Orbex has installed several new production systems, including one of the largest carbon fibre winding machines in Europe.
This 18-metre long machine automates the rapid weaving of intricate mixes of materials to build the main rocket structures.
Orbex has worked for several years to investigate and perfect the carbon fibre blend used in the patented construction of its Prime rocket.
Due to its choice of design and materials, Orbex Prime will be 30 per cent lighter than similar sized rockets, allowing acceleration from 0 to 1,330 km/h in just 60 seconds.
To make large rocket structures and components ready for spaceflight, Orbex uses a full-scale ‘autoclave’ which uses high temperatures and up to seven times atmospheric pressure to help carbon fibre composites bond solidly.
In just a few hours, these machines can process large rocket parts, such as main stage fuel tanks, to create a strong and reliable structure that is ready for the extreme conditions of space.
Some of these carbon fibre structures can tolerate massive pressures - in some cases up to 500 times atmospheric pressure.
Earlier this year, Orbex revealed how it was using 3D printing to create what are currently the world’s largest single-piece 3D printed rocket engines.
3D printing allows the integration of dozens of tiny design details and features without requiring additional processing time. Orbex is able to 3D print a complete rocket engine in just five days.
“We’re creating rockets in a way that hasn’t been done before,” said Chris Larmour, Orbex CEO.
“The whole point of NewSpace - private enterprise getting involved in spaceflight - is to provide faster, better and cheaper access to space. Burning through hundreds of millions of dollars on robotic assembly lines or hundreds of staff to produce heavy, metal rockets is an antiquated approach. Building a modern space business means updating the manufacturing ethos to be faster, more agile and more flexible. That’s what we’re doing here at Orbex.”
Fromits Mission Control Centre, flight controllers will have access to numerous data streams from the launch vehicle during lift-off and flight, allowing remote command and control.
Today, the Mission Control Centre is used to monitor engine tests and simulate flight operations. Orbex has two rocket engine test sites, one in Denmark and one at a secure location in the UK.
Prime is expected to be the first rocket to take off from the proposed spaceport in Sutherland.
On August 1, 2019, Orbex’s partner, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) confirmed that it had signed a 75-year lease option with landowners, the Melness Crofters Estate, to build and operate a spaceport on its land.
The designs for the spaceport, including the eco-friendly Launch Operations Control Centre have been released as part of a public consultation ahead of a formal planning request, expected before the end of 2019.
“Many satellites are now as small as a smartphone,” said Larmour. “Our goal is to service this new market by making smaller, more efficient launch vehicles with a tiny CO2 footprint and zero orbital debris. We want to eliminate waiting time by launching on a regular timetable, with massively reduced costs and a more agile, modular approach. We can only do that be rethinking how we do it, rather than copying the past.”
