Relativity Space today announced the first launch of their Terran 1 orbital launch vehicle, as March 8th, two weeks from the announcement.
ORLANDO — Relativity Space announced Feb. 22 it will attempt the first launch of its Terran 1 rocket as soon as March 8 after securing a launch license and skipping a planned final test.
The company announced it received a Federal Aviation Administration launch license for its first Terran 1 mission. With the license in hand, the company says it is targeting a launch of the rocket March 8 between 1 and 4 p.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The mission has been named, "Good Luck, Have Fun," and is the first orbital test launch of the vehicle. The Terran 1 is rated to carry 1,250 kg to Low Earth Orbit, but will not be carrying any customer payloads into orbit. I assume that to properly test the vehicle, it will carry some sort of inert weight; possibly water.
Regular readers will recall that I've mentioned Relativity Space many times before, often in the context of the race to be the leader of the one metric ton (1000 kg) to orbit race. The other race they're a contender in is to be the first liquid methane/liquid oxygen rocket to achieve orbit. Methane-oxygen (or methalox) engines are widely considered to be The Next Big Thing in rocketry, but while a few of the big names have methalox engines (Starship, Vulcan and New Glenn), nobody has flown one into orbit yet.
Tim Ellis, chief executive and co-founder of Relativity, tweeted Feb. 22 that he recalled that his mentor when starting up the company, technology entrepreneur Sam Altman, “told us we were absolutely crazy for trying to simultaneously invent a brand new manufacturing technology and an orbital rocket, which is already super hard.”
“Now we are on the launch pad almost ready to go with the world’s first 3D printed rocket,” he continued. “It’s been a truly wild ride to get to this point, and certainly way harder than I ever imagined going into it – but all the feels from me and our team as we embark on this historic launch.”
The Terran 1 has been in various levels and kinds of testing at SLC-16 since last summer, and has been back and forth between the launch pad and their assembly building several times. The original application for their FAA launch license included a “stage one hotfire” as part of the pre-launch operations. A spokesman told Space News that they feel they've “burned down risk” to a point where they don't believe there's anything else to learn from another hot firing of the first stage. It's time to light those engines and let her fly.
The Terran 1 on the launch pad at LC-16. Photo credit: Relativity Space/Trevor Mahlmann
They use what's called a "Mass Simulator". Basically big chunks metal with the mass distributed in such a way that they mimic a payload. AKA a "Boilerplate Model".
ReplyDeleteGo, baby, go!!
ReplyDeleteHere's to their success. I hope they get it on the first try even though the odds are stacked heavily against them.
Their CEO said something like he knew how rare it would be to make orbit on the first try, but what he didn't know was where customers would decide they were "close enough." I thought the idea of a pass/fail test graded on a curve was interesting.
DeleteMusk launched his Tesla roadster as a mass simulator. Perhaps Tim Ellis can launch his ATV?
ReplyDeleteSend him an e-mail or contact the company, they just might do it!
DeleteOkay, I did. Nothing will come of it, of course. I emphasized the raft of free publicity they would gain.
Delete