Relativity develops rockets and the large-scale 3D printers used to manufacture them, aiming to produce entire launch vehicles via additive manufacturing. The founders, Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, designed in-house printers and emphasize software-driven part consolidation to reduce cost and complexity. The company plans a Terran 1 test flight next year and commercial launches in 2022. Relativity already has customer agreements with Lockheed Martin, Telesat and Iridium and quotes roughly $12 million per payload launch. Its approach is positioned as a way to iterate designs rapidly and drive down manufacturing labor costs through automation. The team frames the Long Beach facility as an early prototype for an off-planet factory and a step toward enabling in-space and planetary manufacturing. Relativity develops metal 3D printing, robotics, and software to manufacture rockets and operate an autonomous “Stargate” factory that prints rocket structures. Its Terran 1 vehicle is designed to be built from raw material to launch-ready in under 60 days with a payload capacity up to 1,250 kg and a 3-meter fairing. The company says its process cuts rocket part count by 100x and has expanded print production capacity roughly 4x while developing larger Stargate printers and controls. Relativity has advanced hardware milestones including printed first- and second-stage structures, turbopump tests, more than 200 engine hotfire tests, avionics and vehicle system design, and burst testing of printed structures. The firm expanded infrastructure from about 10,000 sq ft to over 280,000 sq ft and grew headcount roughly 8x from 14 to 110 employees to scale toward first flight. Relativity frames a long-term goal of 3D printing rockets on Mars and delivering lower-cost, faster launch services for satellite customers and government partners. Relativity is developing an automated rocket construction process that relies on nearly 100% 3D‑printed parts and a large metal printer called "Stargate" to produce mission-specific launch vehicles. The company says its process has reduced rocket part count from around 100,000 to roughly 1,000, cutting labor and build time while leveraging machine learning and proprietary base materials. Stargate is described as the largest 3D metal printer of its kind and aims to go from raw materials to a flight-ready vehicle in about 60 days. Relativity targets payloads up to the size of small cars, positioning itself beyond cubesat-focused competitors and potentially in the same ballpark as SpaceX for some missions. It has a 20-year test site partnership with NASA Stennis to use the E4 Test Complex, enabling development and quality control of up to 36 complete rockets per year on a 25-acre site with an option to expand to 250 acres. The company raised $35 million in new funding to expand its automated 3D-printing manufacturing process and make satellite launches cheaper and faster.

Total raised

$675M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Nov 2020