Terran R

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Relativity Space first unveiled the Terran R on June 8, 2021, shortly after securing $650 million in funding. Initially conceived as a fully 3D-printed, fully reusable evolution of the Terran 1—including its second stage and fairings—the planned rocket could deliver 20,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit when recovered. Following the Terran 1’s maiden flight on April 12, 2023, CEO Tim Ellis confirmed that development of that earlier vehicle would cease, with all focus shifting to the Terran R. The redesigned rocket now features a maximum payload of 23,500 kilograms to low-Earth orbit with a reusable first stage, or 33,500 kilograms in an expendable configuration.

Its first stage is powered by 13 Aeon R engines, generating an estimated total thrust of 14.9 meganewtons. The second stage, which uses an upgraded Aeon R Vac engine, along with the fairings, will be discarded. Ellis has likened the Terran R’s design to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with Relativity aiming to surpass that rocket’s low-Earth orbit payload capacity. In July 2022, Relativity partnered with Impulse Space to send a payload to Mars aboard the Terran R’s first flight, currently expected in 2026.

In September 2024, journalist Eric Berger reported that the rocket’s diameter had been revised from 216 inches to 5.4 meters, matching the diameter of Europe’s Ariane 6.