Launcher Interstage Structure: How Halcyon Manufactured It for MaiaSpace
An Interstage Structure at the Heart of a Major Space Project
Over the past few weeks, the HALCYON team has manufactured a launcher interstage structure for the space launcher developed by MaiaSpace.
This structural component connects two stages of the launcher and plays a key role in transferring loads throughout the different phases of flight. Its design must meet particularly demanding requirements in terms of:
- Lightweight design
- Mechanical performance
- Dimensional accuracy
This project brought together HALCYON’s full expertise in the design and manufacturing of aluminium honeycomb sandwich structures.
Aluminium Honeycomb: A Key Material for Space Structures
At the core of this interstage structure is a material widely used in high-tech industries: aluminium honeycomb.
Integrated into sandwich panels, aluminium honeycomb provides an excellent balance between structural weight reduction, stiffness and the ability to withstand mechanical loads. Its hexagonal cellular architecture optimises load distribution while keeping weight to a minimum, a critical requirement in space applications.
This structure is obtained through a key step in the manufacturing process: honeycomb expansion. During this operation, aluminium honeycomb blocks are expanded in a controlled manner to form the material’s characteristic cellular geometry.
At Halcyon, this operation is carried out using a honeycomb expansion table designed and manufactured in-house. This complete control over the tooling helps ensure process repeatability, cell uniformity and consistent characteristics of the resulting material.
These properties make aluminium honeycomb a preferred solution for launch vehicle structures, where weight optimisation is a major engineering challenge.
Manufacturing Aluminium Honeycomb Sandwich Panels
The production of this structure relies on a rigorous manufacturing process for aluminium honeycomb sandwich panels, requiring precise control of materials, tooling and processing parameters.
The main manufacturing steps include:
- Bonding the aluminium honeycomb core between two aluminium sheets
- Forming the panel on dedicated tooling
- Vacuum bagging to ensure bonding quality
- Oven curing to ensure proper polymerisation and stabilisation of the assembly
Each stage of the process directly contributes to the final quality of the sandwich panels. Precise control of these operations ensures geometric stability, bonding reliability and compliance with the required specifications for space applications.
Precision Machining of Sandwich Structures
Once the panels have been manufactured, precision machining operations are carried out to prepare the components for integration into the final structure.
This stage includes:
- Precision cuttings
- Dimensional adjustments
- Functional preparation for assembly
Machining aluminium honeycomb sandwich panels requires specific expertise to preserve the integrity of the honeycomb core while ensuring the dimensional accuracy and functional quality of the finished components.
Machining of an aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel
Machining of aluminium flanges
Machining of an aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel
Hight-Precision Assembly
The final assembly of this interstage structure represented a significant technical challenge, particularly due to its dimensions and the associated precision requirements.
To maintain the geometry of the entire structure throughout the assembly process, our teams designed a dedicated assembly tool. This tooling holds the panels in position and provides the stability required during the different assembly stages.
The aluminium flanges are then positioned in the designated areas and secured by riveting. Inserts integrated beforehand complete the various fastening points and contribute to the overall structural integrity of the assembly.
The assembly process involves a sequence of carefully controlled operations: component positioning, riveting, intermediate inspections and dimensional checks. These steps ensure the final geometry of the structure as well as the quality of the interfaces between the various components.
This phase fully demonstrates Halcyon’s ability to manufacture complex structures requiring precision, coordinated operations and full control of industrial manufacturing processes.
Industrial Expertise for the Space Industry
This project demonstrates Halcyon’s ability to contribute to high-value projects designed for the most demanding environments.
With its expertise in aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel manufacturing, precision machining and complex structure assembly, Halcyon supports space industry players in the design and manufacturing of critical components for next-generation launch vehicles.
Beyond this project, Halcyon also implements other advanced manufacturing processes that meet the requirements of the space industry, including FSW (Friction Stir Welding), a solid-state welding process recognised for its mechanical performance, as well as incremental forming, which enables the production of complex metal components with a high degree of design flexibility.
This expertise across complementary manufacturing technologies enables Halcyon to address a wide range of requirements, from lightweight sandwich structures to complex, high-value metal components.
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