3D printed PocketQube deployers in carbon fibre-filled composite material launched

Five AlbaPod v2, deployers of 3D printed carbon-fibre reinforced composite PocketQube, were launched into orbit as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-3 mission using the Falcon 9 rocket.

Once separated from Falcon 9, the deployers started launching into the orbit the PocketQubes, that in turn began to send signals to the earth.

With 13 PocketQube spacecrafts integrated into five 3D printed AlbaPods v2 deployers, the mission represented Alba Orbital’s biggest cluster to date, and the first PocketQubes deployment from Falcon-9 Transporter-3. This is the third dedicated launch for SpaceX’s small satellite rideshare service, which aims to give microsatellites and CubeSats a more affordable ride into orbit.

The Transporter-3 mission flew southeast from Cape Canaveral, then turned south to track parallel to Florida’s east coast to deliver the Falcon 9 rocket’s 105 satellite passengers into a roughly 525-kilometre polar sun-synchronous orbit.

Engineer Franco Cevolini, CEO and CTO at CRP Technology, says, ‘This is a new milestone in the nanosatellites arena: we are very proud of being part as supplier of materials and technology that are integration and space proven. The successful mission demonstrates once again the extreme value of Windform for highly performance, heavy duty and mission-critical applications'.