Brenda Marie Rivers
Tim Ellis, cofounder and CEO of Relativity Space, has said the company plans to market a 3D-printed rocket to support missions in low-Earth, medium and geosynchronous orbits over the next decade.
Ellis told C4ISRnet in an interview published Monday that Relativity Space currently holds launch agreements with commercial entities such as Santa Clara, California-based space transportation firm Momentus and is “seeing similar activity†in the defense sector.
He added that there are various LEO programs currently under assessment and that Relativity Space projects a “several billion dollar per year opportunity†for the company’s launch portfolio.
Josh Brost, vice president of business development and government affairs at Relativity Space, noted that he expects the 3D-printed Terran One vehicle to address the Department of Defense’s demands for small-satellite missions.
He also said that additive manufacturing can help speed up the rocket production process to 60 days.
“We see the national security customer base as a really important long term customer for us,†said Brost. “And while we’re still in development, we have been bringing them along with our developments and getting them excited about what we’re doing differently."
Terran One is scheduled to launch in fall 2021.
