CDT Engineers Assist With NASA SpaceX Prototyping
This SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carries two astronauts in the Crew Dragon capsule on the Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Date: 30 May 2020. Source: WikiMedia. Photo by: Daniel Oberhaus.
What do you do when you need a part that doesn’t exist to get your innovation off the ground, but your internal resources of time and talent are not skilled with this type of manufacturing or stretched too thin? You know where you’re headed, but you need help getting there.
That’s the question NASA asked themselves during their recent SpaceX project testing. They came to CDT with theoretical concepts, and our team of engineers ran with their ideas to make them a reality.
At CDT, we’ve had the capability to prototype products for a long time. Typically, we use our equipment when we’re working to optimize the performance of our products for different customer environments. For SpaceX, we assembled a team of engineers who had the sole purpose of turning ideas from NASA’s engineers into tools specific for their mission.
The biggest challenge? We were on a strict deadline. The laws of planetary motion won't wait for delays. From NASA's concepts, our Rapid Response Team had to design, develop, and deliver prototypes to be used in field tests in a matter of days.
"It was a pleasure for my team and I to work with the experienced engineers from Space X. Assisting with tool designs for difficult and problematic projects is a key aspect to our daily routine. We look forward to more opportunities to work with the NASA and the SpaceX team," says Allen Meyer, CDT Plating Engineer.
Because we had the collective knowledge, experience, and tools right here at our disposal, our team was able to meet NASA’s deadline with no delay to the mission. It was a proud day seeing the recent launch of the Demo-2 Mission, knowing we played a small part in making that happen. We wish the astronauts a safe voyage and return!
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.”
–Arthur C. Clarke
What far out idea do you need to get off the ground? Our Rapid Response Team is ready to help you move your innovation forward. Contact us today!