Terran 1 is Relativity Space's 3D-printed launch vehicle designed for satellite constellation deployment and resupply missions. According to the company, Its software-driven architecture will be capable of accommodating a variety of customers and their evolving needs. Relativity hopes to be another provider that can offer affordable launch services.

Terran 1 is an expendable two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid natural gas and liquid oxygen. The vehicle is 35m in height by 2.3m in diameter and uses 10 Aeon engines: nine Aeon-1 engines on the first stage, and one Aeon Vacuum engine on the second stage.

Dedicated Mission: $12M

Payload - LEO: 1,250KG MAX

Payload - SSO: 900KG MAX

Max payload: 1,250KG to 185KM LEO

Nominal payload: 90KG to 500KM SSO

High altitude payload: 700KG to 1200KM SSO

Data courtesy of Relativity Space, Photo credit to Trevor Mahlmann for Relativity.

Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) is a historic launch pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It was originally built in the late 1950s as part of the U.S. Air Force’s missile testing and space launch facilities. The pad was one of several in the Titan missile row and was designed to support testing of ballistic missiles before they were adapted for space launch use.

The complex supported its first launch in December 1959 with a Titan I missile. Over the next several years, LC-16 hosted Titan I and Titan II test flights, playing a role in the development of America’s intercontinental ballistic missile program. After its Titan role, the pad was converted for use with other missile systems, including the Pershing I and Pershing II, which were launched from LC-16 between the 1960s and 1980s as part of the U.S. Army’s medium-range missile development and testing.

Following the Pershing program, the site was deactivated in the late 1980s and remained dormant for decades. In 2017, aerospace company Relativity Space secured rights to the pad and began modifying it to host launches of its rockets, first the Terran 1 and later the larger Terran R. LC-16’s revival represents a transition from its Cold War missile testing origins to supporting modern commercial orbital launches.

Today, LC-16 remains an active launch pad under the management of Relativity Space. It is one of several historic launch sites at Cape Canaveral that have been repurposed for new commercial spaceflight activity, preserving its legacy while supporting the next generation of reusable rockets.

Incorporating Stargate, the world’s largest metal 3D printer with AI-driven controls, Relativity Space built its 'Factory of the Future,' the first aerospace platform to automate rocket manufacturing, vertically integrating intelligent robotics, software, and data-driven 3D printing technology. According to the company, the factory will optimize production, resulting in greatly compounded quality, time improvements, lower costs, and product designs previously not possible.

The adaptable and scalable autonomous robotics allows for a less than 1,000 part count, 2-month build time, 6-month iteration time, simple supply chain, and a software-defined factory.

Proprietary Materials

• High strength alloys designed for Stargate printers
• Physical properties designed to meet mission-critical structural requirements
• In-house material charachterization lab for quickly iterating on new alloy development
• Multiple proprietary alloys

AI Controls

• Intelligent data-driven
• Machine learning algorithms
• Collaborative additive and subtractive process enables complex geometry

Sensors and Analytics

• Verification and validation data captured during manufacturing
• Flexible and highly scalable system architecture
• Cloud-based manufacturing simulation and training

Courtesy of Relativity Space