In the Artemis program, NASA is leveraging 3D printing to pioneer next-generation rocket engines for lunar missions. Ongoing tests show immense promise, though full results are still emerging.
NASA aims to land humans on the Moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable presence by 2028 through the ambitious Artemis program—despite some surrounding controversies. Over a year ago, the agency launched the RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology) project to accelerate rocket production using metal additive manufacturing, including satellite components.
The focus is on "Blown Powder Directed Energy Deposition," a variant of Directed Energy Deposition (DED). Key targets are the nozzle and combustion chamber—the heaviest and costliest parts of the engine.
Engineers have prototyped a nozzle measuring one meter in diameter and 0.9 meters in height, featuring integrated cooling channels. The process injects metal powder into a laser-heated molten pool, with a robotic arm-guided printhead building the structure layer by layer using an optical laser to solidify the material.
This nozzle will soon undergo extreme testing: exposure to 6,000-degree combustion temperatures and launch-level pressures. Researchers are optimistic, especially since production took just 30 days—versus a full year with traditional welding.
Faster and more cost-effective, this technology holds vast potential for aerospace and beyond, including medicine, transportation, and infrastructure.
Watch this video for a closer look at the additive manufacturing process:
