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 was originally developed for the launch of Titan 1 missiles between December 1959 and May 1960, the last Titan 2 being launched on May 29th, 1963. Prior to its re-designation to the United States Air Force in 1972, the launch site was used by NASA for static fire tests of Apollo's propulsion engine as well as crew processing for the Gemini mission.

The Air Force then began converting and utilizing LC-16 for the launch of Pershing missiles beginning on May 7th, 1974, and ending on March 21st, 1988.

In 2019, venture-backed Relativity Space won approval from the Air Force to move into the long-unused LC-16. The company plans on spending well over $10 million to get the pad up and running in order to launch their Terran 1 and Terran R rockets.

Pad renovation includes the addition of propellant tanks, lightning masts, rocket processing hangars, and payload facilities.

Located on Florida’s Space Coast, Cape Canaveral is ideally located to allow access to a wide variety of space destinations that can be reached while safely launching over the open Atlantic Ocean so as not to endanger anyone on the ground.

The Cape currently supports the launch of four different rocket families: Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, and Minotaur.

Launches of Vulcan from ULA and New Glenn from Blue Origin are set to begin no earlier than 2022 with current schedules.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which occupies neighboring Merritt Island, and Cape Canaveral are often confused with each other or referred to as a single place.

They are in fact separate government installations but united as a single “Eastern Range” for launch operations.

Over its history, the spaceport has held the following names:

• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (1949-1963)
• Cape Kennedy Air Force Station (1963-1973)
• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (1973-2020)
• Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (2020-present)

Image: Artist Illustration of Relativity Space's Renovated LC-16

Credit: Relativity Space

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