# Relativity Space

> Relativity Space is an American aerospace company building rockets in a radically different way - by 3D printing the bulk of each vehicle with its proprietary Stargate metal printers and autonomous robotics. Founded in 2015, it became the first company to launch a largely 3D-printed rocket (Terran 1) in 2023, and is now focused on Terran R, a medium-to-heavy-lift, fully reusable launch vehicle aimed at the commercial and government markets. Under CEO Eric Schmidt, who took the helm in 2025, the company is also exploring orbital infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Long Beach, California, United States
- **Founders:** Tim Ellis (Co-founder, Executive Chairman (former CEO)), Jordan Noone (Co-founder, former CTO)
- **Team size:** ~1,200 employees
- **Products:** Terran R, Terran 1, Aeon R / Aeon engines, Stargate
- **Notable:** Launched Terran 1 in March 2023 - the first largely 3D-printed rocket to fly, clearing Max-Q on its debut., Built Stargate, among the largest metal 3D printers in the world, and a 1M+ sq ft factory in Long Beach., Raised more than $1.35 billion across multiple rounds from blue-chip investors.

## Products & services

- **Terran R** — A medium-to-heavy-lift, reusable launch vehicle in development, powered by seven Aeon R engines on the first stage. Designed to deliver heavy payloads to low Earth orbit and beyond, with first flight targeted for late 2026 from Cape Canaveral.
- **Terran 1** — The world's first largely 3D-printed rocket to launch (2023). Its debut 'Good Luck, Have Fun' mission cleared Max-Q but did not reach orbit; the program was retired to focus on Terran R.
- **Aeon R / Aeon engines** — 3D-printed rocket engines burning liquid oxygen and methane (liquid natural gas). The Aeon R produces roughly 302,000 lbf of thrust and is designed for reuse.
- **Stargate** — Relativity's proprietary family of metal 3D printers - among the largest in the world. The 4th-generation system prints horizontally, feeding multiple metal wires into a single head to build large rocket structures.

## Achievements

- Launched Terran 1 in March 2023 - the first largely 3D-printed rocket to fly, clearing Max-Q on its debut.
- Built Stargate, among the largest metal 3D printers in the world, and a 1M+ sq ft factory in Long Beach.
- Raised more than $1.35 billion across multiple rounds from blue-chip investors.
- Signed multi-billion-dollar launch agreements with SES, Intelsat, OneWeb and others before Terran R's first flight.
- Recruited former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as CEO and chairman in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Eric Schmidt became CEO and chairman, making a major personal investment to stabilize the company; co-founder Tim Ellis moved to executive chairman.
- **2025-11** — SES and Relativity expanded their multi-launch agreement for Terran R.
- **2026** — Terran R first flight targeted for late 2026 from Cape Canaveral; company exploring orbital data-center infrastructure for AI/high-performance computing.

## Links

- Website: https://www.relativityspace.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relativity
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/relativityspace
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RelativitySpace
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relativityspace/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/relativityspace/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/relativity-space
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-13