LOGAN, Utah — The future of mankind in space can fit in the palm of your hand. It's a 3D-printed rocket motor that was test-fired Wednesday inside a chamber at Utah State University.
Utah State is developing the new technology, and the cool thing is that the rocket tested in the chamber costs just $25 to make. It's actually made out of 3D-printed plastics, and the material is very similar to a Lego set. A similar-sized normal rocket motor would cost around $30,000 to fire,
The school hopes the technology catches on in the industry.
"The plastic that we typically use is called ABS plastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It's the same plastic that your Legos are made out of, or that some of the plumbing in your home is made out of, and that is our primary fuel source that we use," explained Ph.D. student Ryan Thibaudeau.
"It's been really rewarding that we've been able to do that," shared Stephen Whitmore, the director of the school's Propulsion Research Laboratory. "And what's even more rewarding is that people are starting to take our technology. It's moving out in industry.
"People are starting to use what we're doing."
It's called a hybrid motor, and not a solid rocket booster seen on the Artemis missions, and it's not a liquid motor as you'd see on the space shuttle. It's something in between
