A bold NASA bet puts Relativity under a tight 2028 launch deadline. The company must scale rockets and build Aeolus quickly.
Relativity Space – a rocket manufacturer that last year was acquired by former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt after the company ran into difficulties on its path to orbit, may outrun SpaceX in the race to Mars.
This week, NASA announced that it has enlisted Relativity to build a spacecraft that will carry scientific instruments, launch into space, and head toward Mars.
The contract structure is similar to NASA’s deals with SpaceX for cargo deliveries to the International Space Station and with Firefly Aerospace for a lunar lander: the agency handles the science, the private company handles the accessible infrastructure.
The Aeolus mission will include four instruments to measure and image Mars from orbit, delivering, as NASA expects, the first daily global image of dust, winds, and temperatures in the planet’s atmosphere. The data are expected to improve the safety of landing missions and future crewed expeditions to the Red Planet.
By combining NASA’s world-class instruments with commercial innovations and investments, we can deliver more science more often and shorten the time it takes to provide researchers with the data they need to prepare for future human missions to Mars.
– Jared Isaacman
Risks, timelines and prospects
The mission is planned to launch in 2028, which will require Relativity to quickly develop the spacecraft to host Aeolus and to complete the assembly of a rocket capable of sending it into space within a tight timeline.
NASA has not disclosed the amount paid to Relativity for the mission, and Relativity did not respond to requests for funding. The company faces challenges, as Relativity has not yet demonstrated full-scale readiness, and there is no guarantee the mission will lift off.
Under the public-private partnership model, the company takes on part of the costs, allowing NASA to stretch the budget. This approach has become a template for funding ambitious missions without the agency bearing the full financial risk.
In the long term, such agreements could pave the way for broader commercial services – from satellite launches to cargo deliveries to the Moon. However, the private space services market remains complex and tied up with high capital investments.
Relativity Space was founded in 2015 by two engineers who previously worked at SpaceX and Blue Origin, with a concept to maximize the benefits of 3D printing to reduce rocket costs. The first design, Terran-1, was launched in March 2023 but ended in failure. The company shifted its focus to the larger Terran R. Last year, Eric Schmidt purchased a majority stake in the company and became its CEO. Projects related to orbital data centers and the Lazuili telescope, funded by Schmidt Sciences, are also being explored.
The appearance of Schmidt at the helm of the company sparked discussion among observers: the rocket industry is highly competitive and requires large investments, but growing demand for new rockets could pay off if Terran R reaches orbit.
If Aeolus manages to launch on schedule, it will be the first private Mars mission, potentially catalyzing the expansion of private-public space projects and shifting the role of government funding in this field.