South Korean consortium invests US$50 million in U.S. 3D printing rocket company Relativity Space

September 22, 2021, as the E round
Financing
Part of a consortium of three Korean companies to the United States3D printingRocket startup Relativity Space
invest
Up to 50 million U.S. dollars. The three companies are Hanwha Aerospace, NH Investment and Securities, and Consus Asset Management. Among them, Hanwha Corporation invested 10 million U.S. dollars, while NH and Consus invested 40 million U.S. dollars.

At the same time, there are media reports that Relativity Space plans to conduct its first full-scale project in 2022.3D printingThe launch of the rocket.
According to a report in the Mekong Economic Daily, the US$50 million is part of the US$650 million raised by Relativity Space in its June E round of financing, with a US$200 million investment led by Fidelity Management and Research. According to the report, other major investors include Baillie Gifford, BlackRock, Centricus and sovereign wealth funds of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Relativity Space wants to be the first in the world3D printingThe entire space vehicle company.Using large metal designed and built in-house3D printingThese printers can use raw materials to make a rocket within 60 days, reducing time and labor costs.
There are two models in Relativity’s product line: Terran 1 and Terran R. Both rockets have not yet reached orbit. Terran 1 is the flagship rocket. It is a two-stage expendable rocket capable of sending payloads up to 1250 kg into low earth orbit and 900 kg into sun-synchronous orbit. According to reports, Terran 1’s first demonstration flight is scheduled for early 2022.

The Terran R under development is a heavy-duty, fully reusable two-stage rocket capable of launching more than 20,000 kilograms of rockets into low-Earth orbit in a reusable configuration. According to the website, Terran R will be launched from Cape Canaveral, starting in 2024.

Relativity Space, Inc. US stock encyclopedia:

Relativity Space is an American
aviation
aerospace
Manufacturing company, which was founded by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone in 2015, Relativity Space is developing manufacturing technology for commercial orbital launch services, launch vehicles and rocket engines, and designing, developing and manufacturing 3D printed rockets.

As a vertically integrated technology platform, Relativity is in the trend of
software
Define the forefront of the inevitable transformation of manufacturing. It provides a radically simplified supply chain, producing rockets with 100 times fewer parts in less than 60 days. Relativity Space is backed by major investors including Bond, Tribe Capital, Playground Global, Y Combinator, Social Capital and Mark Cuban.

Relativity Space products:

1. Aeon 1

The Aeon 1 rocket engine is designed to generate 15,500 lbf (69,000 N) at sea level and 25,400 lbf (113,000 N) in a vacuum. The engine is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX). It is made of a proprietary 3D printing alloy. It is printed by selective laser sintering and is assembled from less than 100 parts. By March 2018, Relativity Space had enabled the E-3 test facility at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to complete more than 300 test firings of its Aeon 1 engine.

2. Stargate

To 3D print large components, Relativity Space created a system called Stargate, which it claims is the world’s largest metal 3D printer. Stargate uses existing welding technology to melt metal wires layer by layer into a precise and complex structure with minimal joints and parts. The company’s goal is to 3D print at least 95% of transmitters (including engines) by the end of 2020. The company plans to finally 3D print a complete launch vehicle within 60 days.

3. Terran 1

Terran 1 is an expendable launch vehicle under development and consists of two stages. As of 2020, 9 Aeon 1 engines are planned for the first level, and one Aeon 1 engine for the second level is expected to have a maximum payload of 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) to 185 km (115 miles) low earth orbit (LEO), normal The payload ranges from 900 kg (2,000 lb) to 500 km (310 miles) Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO), and the high-altitude payload ranges from 700 kg (1,500 lb) to 1,200 km (750 miles) SSO. The rocket does not use helium to pressurize, but uses autogenous pressurization. The launch price for each Terran 1 mission released by Relativity Aerospace in June 2020 is US$12 million. In May 2019, Relativity Aerospace hopes to launch Terran 1 for the first time in the third quarter of 2021.

4. Terran R

Terran R is a fully reusable launch vehicle, under development, designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It is an evolution of Terran 1, with a maximum payload capacity of 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) to low Earth orbit. The first stage will use seven Aeon R engines, while the second stage will use an upgraded Aeon 1 engine with a copper cavity. Through this design, Relativity’s goal is to increase the payload of Falcon 9 by about 20%. The target payload mass as of June 2021 is about 20 tons (44,000 pounds), and the long-term goal is to enter orbit as early as 2024. emission.

Relativity Space facilities:

1. Headquarters

Relativity Space announced that it will build a new 11,000 square meter (120,000 square foot) headquarters and factory in Long Beach, California in February 2020. As of February 2020, the new headquarters plans to accommodate business operations and Relativity’s independent development business, and the company plans to build it into a modern rocket manufacturing plant in the next few years. According to CEO Tim Ellis in an interview in early 2020, the plant plan has no fixed tools and hopes to be quickly reconfigured and autonomous.

2. Stennis Space Center

In March 2018, Relativity Space signed a 20-year lease at the Stennis Space Center (NASA Rocket Test Facility) in Mississippi to test engine components and finally complete its Aeon 1 rocket engine test. In June 2019, Relativity Space expanded its collaboration with the Stanislas Space Center, including exclusive use of 20,000 square meters (220,000 square feet) in Building 9101. In mid-2019, Relativity Space plans to create 200 jobs in Mississippi during the 9-year lease and invest $590,000, including the option to extend it for another 10 years.

3. Cape Canaveral LC-16

In January 2019, Relativity Space announced that it had won the bidding process with the U.S. Air Force to build and operate Launch Site 16 (LC-16) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. LC-16 has historical significance and was previously used by the US military to launch Titan and Pershing ballistic missiles.

4. Vandenberg Space Force Base Building 330

In June 2020, Relativity Space announced plans to develop a second launch pad at the Vandenberg Space Force base in California to launch payloads into polar and sun-synchronous orbits between 2023 and 2030, including the launch of Iridium satellites .

Relativity Space, Inc. Financing Encyclopedia:

In March 2016, in the seed round of financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received $620,000 investment led by Mark Cuban (individual) and Y Combinator, and a follow-up investment of USD 620,000 from Lux Capital and David Spector (individual).

In July 2016, in Series A financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received a lead investment from Social Capital, followed by a USD 10.1 million investment from Y Combinator, Mark Cuban (individual), Arjun Sethi (individual), Hiten Shah (individual) and others.

In March 2018, in the B round of financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received a lead investment of Playground Global, and a follow-up investment of USD 35 million from Y Combinator, Social Capital, Mark Cuban (individual), Louis Beryl (individual), and Playground Global.

In October 2019, in the C round of financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received a lead investment from Bond, Tribe Capital, and a $140 million investment from Y Combinator, Social Capital, Wavemaker Partners, Mark Cuban (individual), Allen & Company and others.

In November 2020, in the D round of financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received a lead investment from Tiger Global Management, and a $500 million investment from General Catalyst, ICONIQ Capital, Mark Cuban (individual), Allen & Company and others.

In June 2021, in the E round of financing, Relativity Space, Inc. received a lead investment from Fidelity Management and Research Company, and a follow-up investment of US$650 million from Tiger Global Management, Coatue, Mark Cuban (individual), and BlackRock.

Relativity Space, Inc. History Encyclopedia:

Relativity Space was founded by CEO Tim Ellis (Tim Ellis) and CTO Jordan Noone (Jordan Noone), with the idea that the existing NewSpace company did not fully utilize the potential of additive manufacturing (3D printing) . Relativity’s goal is to be the first company to successfully put a fully 3D printed launch vehicle into orbit.

In November 2020, Relativity Space announced that it has received a USD 500 million Series D financing at a valuation of USD 2.3 billion. By December 2020, its total financing will reach USD 685.7 million.

In June 2021, Relativity announced another round of financing of US$650 million led by Fidelity Investments, raising its valuation to US$2.3 billion. The funding is intended to help develop the fully reusable medium-sized launch vehicle Terran R, with the goal of making its first orbital launch no earlier than 2024.

(Editor in charge: admin)