A team of enthusiasts are set to launch the world’s first 3D printed rocket into the stratosphere. Mission LOHAN (Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator) is the latest development by the team whose past notable projects include the PARIS (Paper Aircraft Released Into Space) mission which the Guinness book of records acknowledges as the highest release of a paper aeroplane.

If all goes to plan the 3D printed Vulture 2 rocket will be taken aloft by a helium balloon to an altitude of 20,000 meters where the rocket motor will fire and project it to a height of 25,000 meters. After the burn it will glide to earth steered by an autopilot while on-board cameras record the journey.

The project was funded by a kickstarter campaign which finished late September and the team are now waiting for clearance from the authorities before launch from Spaceport America New Mexico. The team’s motto ‘Ad Astra Tabernamque’ pays homage to the many establishments where the project was conceived and most of the design work was carried out. Its translation into English reads: To the stars and the pub.

N.B. Any similarity of any mission name to a name used by any existing celebrity is purely coincidental.