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Relativity Space reveals fully reusable medium lift launch vehicle Terran R
Relativity Space, leveraging their 3D printing technology, has announced the next step towards supporting multiplanetary spaceflight: a fully reusable, medium lift launch vehicle named Terran R.
The company's second launch vehicle, succeeding the Terran 1 rocket to debut later this year, will have more payload capacity than the partially reusable SpaceX Falcon 9, and is only the second fully reusable commercial launch vehicle to be revealed publicly after SpaceX's Starship.
The two stage Terran R rocket will be 216 feet (65.8 meters) tall and 16 feet (4.9 meters) in diameter. The second stage features aerodynamic surfaces which will enable recovery and reuse, in addition to a reusable 5 meter diameter payload fairing. Terran R will be capable of delivering over 20,000 kilograms to Low Earth Orbit in its reusable configuration, beating Falcon 9's 15,600 kilograms with drone ship recovery.
Just like Terran 1, Relativity's small lift vehicle offering 1,250 kilograms to Low Earth Orbit, the components for Terran R will be 3D printed. Relativity Space aims to reduce cost and improve reliability by designing 3D printed vehicles with a low part count.
Previously: Relativity Space Leases Land at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi
Aerospace Startup Making 3D-Printed Rockets Now Has a Launch Site at America's Busiest Spaceport
Relativity Space Selected to Launch Satellites for Telesat
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:15AM (4 children)
A working engine is the hardest part of building a working rocket. Considering that this is June, 3rd quarter starts next month. They've already leased a pad, so I would expect full-up static tests to start soon. Of course that is all for the Terran 1 and the article is about the R, but that still puts them ahead of the scam artists and into 'real rocket company' territory. And if they actually reach orbit, ahead of Blue Origin, too.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday June 10 2021, @05:37PM (3 children)
Consider problems with Blue Origin's BE-4 engine.
Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver first flight-ready rocket engines next summer [reuters.com]
Dec 17, 2020
Now . . .
GAO report identifies problems with Blue Origin BE-4 engine [rocketrundown.com]
Jun 9, 2021
So let me summarize:
* ULA's existing Atlas V rocket uses Russian engines
* DoD is barred from using Russian engines after 2022, which means no more using Atlas V
* ULA bet its future Vulcan rocket on Blue Origin's BE-4 engine ("A working engine is the hardest part of building a working rocket.")
* DoD gave ULA the lion's share of money and gave SpaceX the small portion because reasons
* Blue Origin, despite being older than SpaceX, has yet to put anything into orbit, but is very excited and feverishly working toward sending Bezos on a sub orbital joyride
* Blue Origin's BE-4 engine having "technical challenges" (see above article quote)
* A prototype BE-4 delivered July 2020
* Almost a year later (now) no fright certified BE-4 engine yet, GAO says "technical challenges"
Observations:
* If ULA can't get fright certified BE-4 engines, it can't get it's Vulcan rocket flying
* ULA needs to launch a national security mission, but may have to use its existing and much more expensive Atlas V instead.
* But this would have to be done by the end of 2022 for legal reasons
Questions:
* Even if Blue Origin could deliver fright certified BE-4 engines today, could ULA get its new Vulcan rocket working?
* And tested! DoD rulez say that national security payloads can only fly on a rocket that has flown at least three times.
* Can ULA even get Vulcan to have three successful flights by end of 2022?
* Could SpaceX launch national security missions instead, even though they get less money
* Would ULA's contract and relationship with DoD be on jeopardy?
See how hard this is?
Good luck to Relativity! One of the new-space companies.
Hey Bezos: why did you hire people from old-space to
ruinrun Blue Origin?To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @09:06PM (2 children)
I'm giving Blue Origin credit for their suborbital rocket since it does actually fly, and reliably at that, and Relativity hasn't quite reached that milestone yet since I don't think they've ever done a hop test.
*If ULA can get some working engines then they should be able to get their rocket flying without much trouble. It is mostly finished and waiting for final integration testing.
*Getting it flying on time is the big hurdle. They are already a year late and their launch cadence isn't very high but if they can get those engines soon, integration goes well, and if they move some Atlas payloads to Vulcan then they might still be able to squeeze it in.
*The bigger question is if they can get enough working BE-4 engines for three flights by the end of 2022.
*SpaceX is NSSL certified so if ULA falls through they can take over the contract. Expect major lawsuits if that happens, but this is why disparate redundancy is worth the extra cost.
*If ULA can't fly Vulcan then that would put them in violation of the contract unless Congress gives them an extension on the Altas deadline. Their NSSL contract is known to have a clause allowing for such a situation. Not only could they lose their DoD preferred contractor status but the survival of the company could be put at risk.
Yeah, it's hard, but the only reason ULA is in this position is that building their own engine is even harder.
Blue Origin's problems run deeper than that: Bezos hired old-space because they seem to be the only people willing to work for him.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday June 24 2021, @03:08PM (1 child)
Give them all the credit you want for their success with sub orbital joyrides.
I don't think it's so easy as "without much trouble". This it not like plugging a power supply in to a motherboard. Finished and awaiting integration testing sounds nice on paper or pixels, but doesn't mean everything will go smoothly without rapid unscheduled disassembly.
My lack of confidence in Blue Origin is because:
* they've been around longer than SpaceX
* they are well funded
* they deliberately and publicly claim to be the tortoise against SpaceX's hare
* and their actions demonstrate that they are a tortoise
* yet the hare (SpaceX) isn't taking a nap and continues to outpace the tortoise (Blue Origin)
* BO's focus seems to continue to be on their successful sub orbital rocket -- they need to WAKE UP and MOVE ON. Abandon the sub orbital stuff and get to work on orbital with all of your resources.
* despite embracing being the tortoise, BO seems all bent out of shape that NASA didn't give them the human lunar lander contract for more money, even though BO still can't put anything in orbit, and publicly embraces a "taking our sweet time" approach to development.
That may be true. If it is true, that says a lot about him as an employer.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 24 2021, @08:39PM
Giving credit where due or damning with faint praise. Take your pick, it cuts both ways.
Point.
BO is the Hare wearing a Tortoise suit because he doesn't understand why he lost. There was a time when they could have given SpaceX a run for their money. Instead they built a better Grasshopper and called it victory.