Relativity Space launches Terran 1 — world’s first 3D-printed rocket

Relativity Space, an aerospace startup based in Long Beach, California, successfully launched the world’s first 3D-printed rocket, the Terran 1, on March 23, 2023, marking a significant milestone in rocket manufacturing and design.

• Terran 1 is the largest 3D-printed object to exist and to attempt orbital flight. Working towards its goal of being 95% 3D printed, Relativity’s first Terran 1 vehicle is 85% 3D printed by mass. Terran 1 has nine Aeon engines on its first stage, and one Aeon Vac on its second stage.

Long Beach-based aerospace startup Relativity Space marked a significant milestone in rocket manufacturing with the successful launch of the world’s first 3D-printed rocket on March 23, 2023. Though the Terran 1 rocket failed to reach orbit, the successful launch is still a significant achievement for the company, which aims to make space launches more affordable by using 3D printing technology.

The unmanned rocket, which is 85% 3D-printed with metal alloys, including the nine Aeon 1 engines used in its first stage and the one Aeon Vacuum engine employed in the second, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 03:25 UTC on March 23, 2023. It stood 33.5 m (110 feet) tall with a diameter of 2.2 m (7.5 feet). The rocket was designed to be less costly to produce and fly, using methane fuel to reach low Earth orbit.

The successful launch followed two previously delayed attempts, originally scheduled for March 8 but postponed due to propellant temperature issues and March 11 due to fuel pressure problems.

Relativity Space’s 3D-printed rockets have the potential to revolutionize space launches, as they can be manufactured using fewer parts, made from raw materials in just 60 days, and are more cost-effective compared to traditional rockets. According to the company, its 3D-printed versions use 100 times fewer parts than traditional rockets.

The company is also developing a larger rocket, the Terran R, capable of putting a payload of 1 250 kg (2 755 pounds) into low Earth orbit. The Terran R is designed to be fully reusable and will have its first launch next year.

CEO Tim Ellis, who co-founded the company in 2015, said Relativity has already signed commercial launch contracts worth $1.65 billion, mostly for the Terran R.

Relativity aims to provide satellite operators with a faster alternative to waiting for years to get a spot on an Arianespace or SpaceX rocket, using its 3D-printed rockets that have the potential to fuel a voyage to Mars with liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas – the “propellants of the future”. SpaceX’s Starship and Vulcan rockets being developed by United Launch Alliance use the same fuel.

References:

¹ First 3D-printed rocket lifts off but fails to reach orbit – AFP – March 23, 2023

² RelativitySpace.com

Featured image credit: Relativity Space