The first 3D printed rocket is preparing to launch. The Terran 1 rocket, built by US aerospace startup Relativity Space, is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 8.
“Terran 1 will be the largest 3D printed object to attempt orbital flight,” said a representative of Relativity Space in a statement. The rocket is about 35 meters tall, making him one of the smallest orbital rockets in the industry, with 85% of its mass 3D printed. Designed to lift up to 1,250 kilograms into low earth orbit, the company bills him $12 million for a single flight. By comparison, SpaceX’s ubiquitous Falcon 9 rocket can lift over 22,000 kilograms into orbit and costs about $67 million per flight.
Terran 1 in the Relativity Space on the Florida launch pad
Trevor Merlman/Relativity Space
The Terran 1 is completely expendable and has no payload for this first test flight. If the rocket reaches space, the flight is considered successful. The company opted to skip the rocket’s final planned test, a static fire in which the rocket’s engines fire while the rocket is anchored to the ground, and chose to go straight to launch.
“We accept that by not completing static fire there will be a higher chance of an abort on the first fire attempt, but if all systems are functioning properly it is better to release and fire on the next maneuver. But we will launch the vehicle rather than continue wearing it on the ground for additional testing,” a company representative said. The rocket and each of its engines went through a series of tests to get here, but one more test and he’s likely to experience more wear than necessary.
Relativity Space’s stated goal is to foster an industrial society on Mars, and Terran 1 is too small to get there. Although designed to launch small satellites into orbit, its main purpose is to serve as a small-scale prototype for the company’s first 66-meter-tall Terran R rocket, which it plans to launch in 2024.
The Terran R will be fully reusable, mostly 3D printed, and capable of carrying up to 20,000 kilograms into orbit. According to Relativity’s website, in addition to launching large satellites into orbit around the Earth, Terran R will “eventually also offer customers a point-to-point space freighter capable of missions between Earth, the Moon and Mars. We will provide it.”
“That’s the vehicle our customers need,” said a Relativity representative. “Terran 1 is our pathfinder and development platform to get to Terran R.”
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