Trevor Mahlmann
Relativity Space has announced that its 3D printed Terran 1 rocket is scheduled for its first launch on March 8th, 2023.
The Good Luck, Have Fun (GLHF) test flight mission has been granted Federal Aviation Administration licensure and is now slated for launch from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral. Currently, the launch window on March 8th is 13.00-16.00 ET.
It will represent Relativity’s first orbital attempt and will not include a customer payload. Per Space News, the company has decided to forego a final static-fire test, choosing to accept a slightly higher risk of flying the Terran 1 rocket without the last test versus adding more wear and tear to the vehicle.
Relativity secured funding to launch its Terran 1 rocket through a $140m Series C round in October 2019, before completing a Series D round worth $500m in November 2020. Terran 1 is a two-stage rocket that measures 110ft-tall and 7.5ft-wide. Relativity considers it to be the ‘largest 3D printed object to exist and the largest to attempt orbital flight. The rocket is 85% 3D printed by mass, with a target set of being 95% printed, and is equipped with nine Aeon engines on its first stage and one Aeon Vac on its second stage. In the past, Relativity has said this rocket consists of 100x fewer components than a traditionally made rocket, thanks to 3D printing’s inherent part consolidation capabilities.
In October 2022, Relativity unveiled the 4th generation of its Stargate metal 3D printing capability, which is set to be used to manufacture the larger Terran R launch vehicle. Terran R is said to be a fully reusable rocket that can launch 20,000kg into low Earth orbit.
Earlier that year, Relativity's SVP of Additive & Software Engineering Scott Van Vliet joined us on the TCT Additive Insight podcast to discuss Relativity's use of 3D printing technology to build its Terran rockets, as well as the company's overall mission.
