Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Relativity Signs Satellite Rideshare Deal

Los Angeles-based Relativity, a developer of robotics technology and 3D manufacturing technology aimed at developing 3D printed rockets, says it has signed a launch services agreement with satellite ridesharing arranger Spaceflight. According to Relativity, Spaceflight will manifest missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on Relativity's 3D printed rocket, the Terran 1. Relativity has not yet launched its first rocket. Financial details of that launch services agreement were not announced. Relativity is venture backed by Playground Global, Y Combinator, Social Capital, Phillip Spector (formerly of Intelsat), and Mark Cuban. Spaceflight helps companies arrange ridesharing flights to space for their cubesats. According to Relativity, it plans to have its first launch in Q3 of 2021. The company claims that, by using 3D printed rocket parts, it will be able to build rockets for a fraction of the cost of traditional rockets, with 100x lower parts count than those traditional rockets.

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