Aluminium alloy materials have found extensive application in large-span space grid structures. While research on the mechanical properties of aluminium alloy materials and components is generally well-established, there remains an incomplete understanding of the overall structure. Therefore, further investigation into the overall performance of aluminium alloy reticulated shells is crucial to promote their use in spatial structures, guiding structural design and addressing practical engineering challenges. This study focuses on the design of a single-layer aluminium alloy reticulated shell with a 2 m span, which was subjected to an impact test to examine its dynamic response and failure mode. By comparing and analysing stress, acceleration, and displacement time-history curves obtained from these different test conditions, the dynamic response behavior of the reticulated shell was determined. To simulate the impact on reticulated shells, explicit dynamic analysis was conducted using non-linear finite element software LS-DYNA. Based on the deformation characteristics and failure phenomena observed during the impact test, three distinct failure modes were defined for the single-layer reticulated shell. Through parameter analysis using the validated finite element model, it was determined that increasing the thickness (tp) of the aluminium alloy gusset plate or reducing the radius (R) of the gusset plate effectively enhances the overall stiffness and impact resistance of the single-layer reticulated shell. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the performance of aluminium alloy reticulated shells under impact loads. The findings provide valuable insights for guiding structural design and addressing practical engineering problems in the field of spatial structures. •The scaled aluminum alloy reticulated shell is tested under impact load.•Impact failure behavior of members, connections, joints and overall structure is discussed.•Time history curves and failure modes of aluminum alloy reitculated shell are obtained via test.•Influence of joint stiffness on dynamic response is studied by parametric analysis of FE model.