The world's first 3D-printed rocket is scheduled to blast off from Florida on Saturday on the maiden flight of an innovative spacecraft billed as being less costly to produce and fly.
The launch of the Terran 1 rocket had been scheduled for Wednesday at Cape Canaveral but was postponed at the last minute because of propellant temperature issues.
The new launch window for the rocket built by California aerospace start-up Relativity Space to put satellites into orbit is from 1pm to 4pm (Saturday, 10pm, to Sunday, 1am, UAE time).
Terran 1 is set to reach low Earth orbit eight minutes after blast-off on a voyage intended to gather data and demonstrate that it can withstand the rigours of lift-off and space flight.
If the rocket manages to attain low Earth orbit, it will be the first privately-funded vehicle using methane fuel to do so on its first try, according to Relativity.
Terran 1 is not carrying a payload for its first flight but the rocket will eventually be capable of putting objects of up to 1,250 kilograms into low Earth orbit.
The rocket is 33.5 metres tall with a diameter of 2.2m, and 85 per cent of its mass is 3D-printed with metal alloys, including the engines.
It is the largest ever 3D-printed object, according to Relativity. The Long Beach-based company's goal is to produce a rocket that is 95 per cent 3D printed.
Terran 1 is powered by Aeon engines using liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas — “propellants of the future”, according to Relativity, that will be capable of eventually fuelling a voyage to Mars.
Vulcan rockets being developed by United Launch Alliance and SpaceX's Starship use the same fuel.
Terran 1 has nine 3D-printed Aeon 1 engines on its first stage and one 3D-printed Aeon Vacuum engine on its second stage.
Relativity is also building a larger rocket, Terran R, capable of putting a payload of 20,000kg into low Earth orbit.
The first launch of a Terran R, which is designed to be fully reusable, is scheduled for next year from Cape Canaveral.
A satellite operator can wait for years for a spot on an Arianespace or SpaceX rocket, and Relativity Space hopes to accelerate the timeline with its 3D printed rockets.
“Long-term, a major benefit of 3D printing is the ability to more rapidly democratise space due to the incredible cost effectiveness, radical flexibility and customisation,” the company said.
Relativity said its 3D-printed rockets use 100 times fewer parts than a traditional rocket and a Terran 1 and a Terran R can be built from raw materials in just 60 days.
Relativity has already signed commercial launch contracts worth $1.65 billion, mostly for the Terran R, according to Chief Executive Tim Ellis, who co-founded the company in 2015.
“Medium-heavy lift is clearly where the biggest market opportunity is for the remaining decade, with a massive launch shortage in this payload class,” he said on Twitter.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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