A DMLS Satellite

[ncl302]

Hey guys,

I wanted to share a DMLS aluminum satellite structure I'm building.



Satellites are the perfect application for 3D printing because of the specialized small quantities and the need for short development time. When delivered fast they can take advantage of launch opportunities on short notice.

Our team is building the first 3D printed satellite (a type of micro-satellite called a CubeSat) for NASA's $5,000,000 CubeQuest Challenge. NASA is challenging teams to be the first to put a small satellite into lunar orbit. Here's how 3D printing will give us an advantage: Small satellites have never gone to the moon before because there isn't enough space to fit all the systems for the long journey to get there. But because we're 3D printing our satellite, we can use far less components (no fasteners, brackets, etc.) and we can optimize and strengthen our structure by printing in honeycomb to save space and weight. And we can fill that honeycomb with propellant to make one big propellant tank from any extra space. We're also developing print-in valves and propulsion parts to save space.

To pay for this build, we're trying out Kickstarter. We're going to print supporter's experiments into the open volume of our test platform. After testing, we'll pick the best designs to print into the flight structure for the moon. Our main goal is to learn about DMLS for CubeSats and test it for spaceflight. We're really excited about printing the first full structure for space and competing in NASA's Cube Quest Challenge.





Have any suggestions to help us succeed? Any feedback would be great. Thanks for looking!

To contribute a design to our satellite, check out our Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ellite-for-eve