Launch debut of 3D-printed rocket ends in failure, no orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts has finally taken flight, but didn’t last long. The second stage failed three minutes after liftoff from Florida late Wednesday (March 22, 2023), and the mission failed to reach orbit. Relativity Space’s rocket carried nothing on board except for the company’s first metal 3D print from six years ago. Most of the 110-foot rocket, including its engines, came out of the startup’s huge 3D printers in California. The rocket blasted off from an old missile pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Relativity Space says 3D-printed metal parts made up 85% of the rocket and larger versions of the rocket will have even more in the future.