A fully reusable, 3D-printed rocket will be launching satellites to orbit three years from now, if all goes according to plan. Today (June 8), Relativ

Relativity Space unveils fully reusable, 3D-printed Terran R rocket

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2021-06-08 18:30:03

A fully reusable, 3D-printed rocket will be launching satellites to orbit three years from now, if all goes according to plan.

Today (June 8), Relativity Space revealed details of Terran R, a new two-stage rocket that's key to the Southern California startup's bold off-Earth goals, which include helping humanity get a foothold on Mars.

"Terran R is at the cutting edge of rocket innovation and design," Zach Dunn, senior vice president of engineering and manufacturing at Relativity Space, said in a statement. "Fully reusable and entirely 3D printed, Terran R will be well suited to serve customers' evolving needs in the large satellite constellation industry, while also representing a significant leap towards achieving our mission of building humanity's industrial base off of Earth."

Terran R will be a big step up in power and performance from the two-stage Terran 1, an expendable rocket that Relativity Space expects to start flying later this year. Nine different customers have already signed contracts to put payloads on Terran 1, company representatives said.