Relativity Space’s first rocket launch failed to reach Earth orbit. The Terran 1 rocket was made by the Long Beach-based aerospace company using 3D printers. To be exact, 85% of the rocket was made in that manner.
The launch took place last month at Cape Canaveral in Florida; the rocket fell into the Atlantic after failing to reach orbit.
Arwa Tizani Kelly, the technical program manager for test and launch at Relativity, and Raichelle Aniceto, chief of staff for the company’s vehicle architecture and technology team, hosted the launch of the Terran 1 rocket until the moment an “anomaly” occurred after separation of the first stage of the rocket.
“Today’s flight data will be invaluable to our team as we look to further improve our rockets, including Terran R,” Kelly said, referring to the company’s first fully reusable and entirely 3D-printed rocket, which is scheduled to fly next year.
“Our team will now carefully analyze this data to determine what led to this outcome,” Aniceto added.
The company has made no statement about what happened to the rocket.
Kelly thanked the Relativity team for getting them to where they were that day.
“No one has ever attempted to launch a 3D-printed rocket into orbit. While we didn’t make it all the way today, we gathered enough data to show that flying 3D-printed rockets is possible,” she added.
“What we are doing has never been done before, but it is undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavor that will transform the aerospace industry forever,” Aniceto said in closing out the broadcast.
Terran 1 stands 110 feet high; nine Aeon engines power its first stage, and one Aeon engine powers the second stage.
