RELATIVITY SPACE

Two private companies, Relativity Space and Impulse Space, unveiled plans for the first commercial flight to Mars in 2024 using reusable rockets.

Tim Ellis, a former Blue Origin engineer, built aerospace start-up Relativity Space into a $4.2 billion company — with some help from Mark Cuban. Here's how.

Relativity Space is building rockets using an autonomous, 3D manufacturing robot called "Stargate."

3D rocket-printing startup Relativity Space said it plans a "major expansion" of operations and manufacturing to boost production of its Terran rocket line.

3D-printing specialist Relativity Space is building a second rocket factory in Long Beach, California, where the company will move its headquarters.

Relativity Space is revealing new details about its larger Terran R rocket, which could compete with SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9.

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.

3D-printing specialist Relativity Space completed a $650 million fundraise to build a fully reusable rocket and challenge Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Relativity Space uses 3D-printing to build rockets, but CEO Tim Ellis says its big idea goes beyond aerospace into a manufacturing and multiplanetary future.

California-based aerospace startup Relativity Space will celebrate International Women's Day (March 8) and Women's History Month with a new video highlighting an all-woman analog astronaut crew. The new video, which Relativity Space released today, highlights the crew and mission of Sensoria M2 , the second all-woman mission at the HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) habitat, in October 2020. It followed the first such mission, Sensoria M1, which took place in January 2020. Live updates: Our mission to 'Mars' at the HI-SEAS habitatMore: HI-SEAS' 8-month mock Mars mission in picturesRelativity Space highlighted the Sensoria M2 mission at HI-SEAS for the 2021 International Women's Day. Relativity Space said in a statement, found in the image above.

Ellis previously worked at Bezos' space company Blue Origin as a propulsion engineer – and was credited for bringing the process of 3D printing metal rocket parts in-house. Ellis then left Blue Origin in 2015 to found Relativity with Jordan Noone, a college classmate and former SpaceX propulsion engineer. Relativity declined CNBC's request for comment on Bezos' visit, while Blue Origin did not respond to requests for comment. The company's first rocket, Terran 1, is expected to launch for the first time later this year. Relativity is also working on a second, larger rocket called Terran R – aiming to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in both launch capability and reusability.

An artist's illustration of the difference in size between the company's Terran 1 rocket, to the left, and the planned Terran R rocket. Relativity SpaceRelativity Space, the 3D-printing rocket builder, is making another big bet: Developing a fully reusable rocket, designed to match the power and capability of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets. He highlighted SpaceX's work on reusability as informing Relativity's approach to Terran R, which he expects will be "fully reusable." "It's a copper chamber engine ... and it's actually now the same engine on the upper stage of Terran R as on Terran 1." Relativity plans to launch Terran R from Cape Canaveral in Florida, where the company previously secured a launch site for Terran 1.

Related: Relativity Space will 3D-print rockets at new autonomous factory"We’re keeping the momentum strong in #2021 with hotfire testing of our development second stage! Relativity Space said via Twitter on Jan. 21 . In November, Relativity Space announced it had closed a $500 million "Series D" financing round even as the coronavirus pandemic affected similar manufacturers in the space industry. "The last six months have been an exciting time at Relativity Space," Tim Ellis, the company's CEO, told Space.com. Related: Relativity Space to launch satellite 'tugs' on 3D-printed rocketSpace publications have taken note of Relativity's swift progress.

Rocket builder and 3D-printing specialist Relativity Space is raising $500 million of fresh capital in a new round being led by Tiger Global Management, people familiar with the financing told CNBC on Tuesday. The new fundraise, expected to close in the coming days, would jump Relativity's valuation to $2.3 billion, those people said. In addition to Tiger Global, Fidelity is also joining the round as a new Relativity investor. Existing investors in Relativity are also expected to be contributing — those include Social Capital, Playground Global, Y Combinator, Bond Capital, Tribe Capital, Jared Leto and Mark Cuban. Tiger Global, the hedge fund of investor Chase Coleman, has more than $40 billion in assets under management.

Speaking for the first time since he left Elon Musk's rocket company, Dunn said Relativity has exceeded his expectations. "Two buckets of raw material come in and then the printers reconfigure that material into a rocket," Ellis said. Relativity Space | gif by @thesheetztweetzRealtivity's Terran 1 rocket has just 730 individual parts – about 100 times less than the typical rocket. Relativity test fires its engines at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where it has a long-term lease for multiple testing chambers. A computer rendering shows Relativity Space's rocket Terran launching from Cape Canaveral's LC-16 launchpad.

Relativity Space is developing its Terran 1 rocket, the first fully 3D-printed launch vehicle, at its headquarters in Long Beach, California. The company already has a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 16, which is under construction. On Wednesday, Relativity Space revealed it has signed a right of entry agreement with the U.S. Air Force 30th Space Wing to develop launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Space. If approved, the B-330 launch site will allow spacecraft launches to polar and sun-synchronous orbits from the West Coast, according to a news release. A Relativity Space robotic engineer operates Stargate, the world's largest 3D printer, on June 10, 2019 at the company's California headquarters.

Ahead of its first rocket launch next year, Relativity Space is moving into new, bigger digs in Long Beach, California where it will build the first fully 3D printed rockets to launch from Cape Canaveral. Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Jordan Noone said the new headquarters in Long Beach will allow the growing team to begin building the first few Terran 1 rockets to launch from Cape Canaveral. We have the space to do it now.”Relativity Space announced this week its moving the company's headquarters to Long Beach, California. "The space economy continues its growth in Long Beach with the addition of Relatively,” Long Beach Mayor, Dr. Robert Garcia said. The official move-in date to the Long Beach headquarters will happen sometime in May or June, Noone said.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Relativity Space has the green light to get to orbit after receiving a new round of funding, the company said Tuesday. On Tuesday, Relativity Space announced it had closed on a $140 million Series C funding round led by Bond and Tribe Capital. Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis in front of 3D printed rocket hardware at the company's headquarters near Los Angeles. When News 6 visited Relativity Space headquarters near Los Angeles in June, Stargate 2.0 was still underdevelopment. In order to accommodate, the more flexible Stargate printers Relativity is moving into new facilities that will support a taller printing process.

California-based Relativity Space is currently preparing Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to begin launching its fully 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket. On Wednesday, Relativity Space announced it has entered a launch services agreement with Momentus -- the company provides in-space ferry services for spacecraft -- to launch Momentus customers for up to six launches. Laura Lariu, general counsel for Relativity Space, said this partnership furthers the company's goals to expand access to space and opens the Terran 1 up to a wider market of spacecraft. The orbital shuttle is powered by a water plasma propulsion system that pushes satellites from one orbit to another. The result is a super-heated gas to create thrust for the orbital shuttle to deliver spacecraft into various orbits.

Relativity Space CTO Jordan Noone stands in front of a 3D printer known as Stargate 2.0. The printers can be elevated to print taller rocket parts and are only limited by the size of the building. (Image: Emilee Speck/WKMG)Hide Caption

California-based Relativity Space announced Tuesday it has broken ground on a 3D manufacturing facility at Stennis Space Center where it will print its Terran 1 rocket.