Postgraduate aeronautical design students have designed the world’s first-ever 3D-printed, rocket-powered space plane.
The students plan to launch Vulture 2, a 3D printed rocket-powered space plane, into the stratosphere at three times the cruising altitude of a transatlantic jet. The Vulture 2 will rise to an estimated launch altitude of 20,000m, soar to a heady 25,000m, and then glide back to earth under autopilot control.
The Vulture 2 was designed by post-graduate aeronautical design students Amrith Surendra, Chris Dodd and David Cooper, and produced with industrial-scale 3D printing equipment.
Amrith Surendra, one of the students who designed Vulture 2, said: “Being involved in the design of Vulture 2 has been an amazing learning experience. It gave us the opportunity to apply our knowledge, to explore new ideas, and has undoubtedly piqued my interest in pursuing a career in the aerospace industry after my doctoral studies.”
Lester Haines, head of the Register’s Special Projects Bureau and holder of the Guinness World Record for the highest launch of a paper aeroplane, said: “Without doubt, this is the most complicated amateur high-altitude mission ever undertaken.”
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