Rocket startup Relativity eyes new products with enlarged 3D printer

Relativity has $1.2 billion worth of Terran R launch contracts so far, he said. Relativity's rivals, like Astra Space and Rocket Lab, have offered side products such as satellite parts, to bring in more revenue amid costly and time-consuming rocket development projects.

Rocket builder Relativity Space has built a giant 3D-printing robot that could allow the company to build products besides the rockets it plans to launch, Relativity's chief executive said.

The Los Angeles-based startup is targeting year's end for the debut launch of its mostly 3D-printed flagship rocket Terran 1, Tim Ellis told Reuters. The rocket is one of a handful of small U.S. launch vehicles being offered by new companies to send small satellites into orbit. Relativity's upgraded 3D printer, the latest in a lineup named Stargate, will primarily be used to build its bigger, next-generation Terran R rocket, he said. However, Ellis said the company could also explore projects in such areas as clean energy and "materials for other applications."

"This large-format metal 3D printing ... really means that we're just starting with rockets," Ellis said. "As this technology matures and we're showing that we can build it and develop it ourselves, then we will be able to take on other projects." The company is working with a nuclear fusion company to use the new 3D printer to print parts of a fusion reactor, Ellis said. He declined to name the company, citing a non-disclosure agreement.

Relativity has centered its rocket production lines on its in-house developed 3D printers, seeing the strategy as an edge among competitors in order to simplify the design and manufacturing of rocket parts and engines. The new printer is seven to 12 times faster than previous versions and is designed to print four Terran R rockets per year, Ellis said. Relativity has $1.2 billion worth of Terran R launch contracts so far, he said.

Relativity's rivals, like Astra Space and Rocket Lab, have offered side products such as satellite parts, to bring in more revenue amid costly and time-consuming rocket development projects. Global interest in fusion, a nascent form of power generation, is rising amid increased needs to cut carbon emissions. It is also envisioned by scientists as a potentially crucial energy source for planned habitats on the moon.

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