Case Study: Bradford Space achieves lightweight, durable propulsion brackets with Materialise metal 3D printing

Meet Bradford Space’s Comet Propulsion System — and the 3D-Printed Brackets that Hold It in Place

Bradford Space develops the Comet electrothermal propulsion system for small satellites, but needed a strong, lightweight bracket to connect the system to satellites in orbit. Because the part had to meet strict performance and space-environment requirements, traditional machining was too complex and costly, so Bradford Space turned to Materialise for metal 3D printing services.

Materialise produced the brackets in titanium using metal 3D printing at its Bremen competence center, helping Bradford Space qualify the parts through rigorous vibration and thermal testing to NASA standards. The result is more than 100 3D-printed brackets in orbit across over 25 Comet propulsion systems, with the design also being further optimized for easier integration and better performance.

Bradford Space

Edder Rabadán Santana

Project Lead