The launch of startup Relativity Space Inc.’s mostly 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket lifted off successfully on Wednesday, though it failed to reach orbit after suffering a mid-flight problem.
After a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, an anomaly arose after the rocket’s extra boosters separated. A live feed of the launch showed that late-stage engine firing was apparently disrupted. Still, the Relativity team ended the coverage on a positive note, saying that the company has collected critical data that proves its 3D-printed manufacturing technique works.
“Today is a great victory, with many historic first steps,” the company said in a tweet, adding that it will evaluate flight data and provide updates in the coming days.
With this mission, called Good luck, Have fun, Relativity hoped to achieve a number of ambitious pioneering steps, including becoming the first venture capital-backed company to reach orbit on the initial attempt, the first rocket. 3D-printed commercial to reach space and the first methane-fuelled to reach orbit.
“No one has ever tried to put a 3D-printed rocket into orbit,” Arwa Tizani Kelly, technical program manager for tests and launches at Relativity, said during the livestream. “And while we didn’t go all the way today, we’ve gathered enough data to show that it’s possible to fly 3D-printed rockets.”
Without even launching a rocket, the company has raised at least $1.3 billion and was last valued at $4.2 billion in June 2021.
The Terran 1 rocket that launched on Wednesday was 85% 3D printed, though Relativity expects to reach 95% in the future.
Initially, the company had planned to launch Terran 1 on March 8, but postponed the launch due to problems with the rocket’s propellant temperature. On a second launch attempt on March 11, the rocket’s motors fired, but shut down shortly after without taking off, ultimately causing another delay.
Terran 1’s Aeon engines are powered by methane, a relatively new type of rocket fuel that companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and United Launch Alliance LLC are using to power their rockets. Both companies have next-generation rockets that use methane fuel, but they haven’t launched yet.
