Relativity Space

Relativity Space is an American aerospace company founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, headquartered in Long Beach, California. The company pioneered large-scale metal 3D printing of rockets, aiming to manufacture launch vehicles with far fewer parts and a much shorter production cycle than traditional methods.

Its first vehicle, Terran 1, became the world's first 3D-printed rocket to attempt orbital flight when it launched in March 2023. The rocket cleared the Karman line but its second stage failed to ignite, so it did not reach orbit; Relativity retired Terran 1 afterward to concentrate on its larger vehicle.

The company's flagship program is now Terran R, a two-stage, partially reusable heavy-lift rocket powered by methane-burning Aeon R engines and designed to lift roughly 20+ tonnes to low Earth orbit. In March 2025 former Google CEO Eric Schmidt took a controlling interest and became CEO. Relativity remains in active development, targeting Terran R's first flight no earlier than late 2026 from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral.