With Skyward Experimental Rocketry at JEC World 2026

Innovation Powered Together with Skyward Experimental Rocketry

At JEC World 2026, we will showcase a concrete example of how Additive Manufacturing can support research and development in the space and aerospace sectors.
At our booth, we will present the results of a strong collaboration between academia and industry: the Orion rocket, developed by Skyward Experimental Rocketry at Politecnico di Milano, and the trim & drill tool produced by the Camozzi Research Center using large-format Additive Manufacturing.

Innovation Powered Together with Skyward Experimental Rocketry

For years, we have collaborated with Politecnico di Milano and with the organizations that strengthen its research ecosystem, supporting visionary projects that bring future engineers closer to cutting-edge technologies. With more than 200 students from different engineering disciplines, Skyward represents an extraordinary environment of skills, creativity, and ambition.

For the Orion project, we contributed our expertise and Additive Manufacturing solutions, supporting the development of a critical component of the rocket’s design.

Seeing young talents work with advanced, high-performance technologies motivates us to continue investing in initiatives that combine education, applied research, and real-world experimentation.

Additive Manufacturing for the Future

Our collaboration played a key role in the development of Orion’s monolithic fincan, a component that represents a significant evolution compared to the multi-component configurations typically used in student rocketry projects.

Through the production of a large-format industrial tool using 3D printing, we enabled the Skyward team to adopt an efficient workflow for trim & drill operations and for the final definition of functional surfaces.

Our Additive Manufacturing technology allowed us to create a fully monolithic component, eliminating the discontinuities typical of multi-piece assemblies. This approach ensures superior structural stiffness, tighter tolerance control, and optimized mechanical and fluid-dynamic performance, without the need for mechanical fasteners.

The fincan trim & drill tool was produced using 100% recycled ABS+CF, with a printing process lasting 2.5 hours followed by 4 hours of milling. This project demonstrates how sustainable materials combined with large-format 3D printing can enable highly efficient, flexible, and advanced manufacturing solutions.

Orion at EuRoC 2025: A Result that looks ahead

Orion is the fifth rocket of the Constellation Program, through which Skyward participates in EuRoC 2025. The rocket is equipped with a hybrid motor entirely designed by the students. Its more streamlined tail section improves aerodynamics and enables the rocket to reach its target altitude with potentially lower thrust.

The new livery, developed internally by the team, highlights the full carbon structure and visually showcases the advanced manufacturing processes used to produce the project’s key components. It represents a tribute to the synergy between creativity, engineering, and advanced technologies.

Orion Datasheet

• Diameter: 150 mm
• Length: 3921 mm
• Wet weight: 30 kg
• Motor: Hybrid (Nitrous Oxide and paraffin-based grain reinforced with ABS), pressurized with nitrogen gas
• Recovery system: Guided
• Awards: Best Design Award and third place at EuRoC 2025