About Relativity Space
Relativity Space was founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, both former employees at Blue Origin and SpaceX respectively, based on the thesis that traditional rocket manufacturing, which typically involves assembling thousands of individually machined and welded parts using conventional manufacturing methods, could be dramatically simplified and accelerated by using large-scale metal 3D printing to produce rocket structures and components as much larger, more integrated printed parts, reducing both the total part count and the manufacturing time and labor traditionally required to build a rocket using conventional aerospace manufacturing techniques.
The company has developed its own proprietary large-scale metal 3D printers, which it uses to manufacture the majority of its rocket structures, including fuel tanks and other structural components, using a printing process the company argues can produce a complete rocket using dramatically fewer individual parts and significantly less manufacturing time than conventional rocket manufacturing approaches typically require, potentially letting Relativity iterate on rocket designs more quickly and manufacture rockets at lower cost once its printing processes and rocket designs mature to full commercial reliability. Relativity's first rocket, Terran 1, achieved a partial success in its 2023 test flight, successfully completing its first-stage burn and becoming the first 3D-printed rocket to reach orbital-relevant speeds and altitude, though the vehicle did not achieve full orbital insertion due to a second-stage engine issue; following this test, the company announced it would retire the smaller Terran 1 vehicle to focus development resources on Terran R, a larger, fully reusable rocket intended to compete more directly with vehicles like SpaceX's Falcon 9 for larger satellite payload launches. The company has secured launch contracts with several satellite operators for its future Terran R vehicle. Relativity Space has raised very substantial venture funding from investors including Tiger Global, Fidelity, and BlackRock, reaching a valuation exceeding $4 billion, positioning itself among the most well-funded new entrants in the competitive launch vehicle industry.
