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Terran R
Courtesy of Relativity Space · Press kit, editorial use (opens relativityspace.com)

Terran R

by Relativity SpaceUS

ProtoStage 2 of 5

In development; first launch from Cape Canaveral targeted for late 2026.

Updated 6 Nov 2025Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Terran R first launch
  1. Terran 1 flight reaches space but not orbit22 Mar 2023Complete.
  2. Terran 1 retired to focus on Terran RApr 2023Complete.
  3. Terran R first launchTarget Q4 2026+33 mooriginally 2024Current milestone.

Most important updates

  • 6 Nov 2025
  • Oct 2023
  • 22 Mar 2023
  • Jun 2022
  • 8 Jun 2021

Upcoming

  1. Q4 2026Terran R first launch+33 mooriginally 2024 (next)

Current obstacles

  • From 3D printing to normal factoriesRelativity dropped fully 3D-printed tanks for normal aluminium ones, which meant rebuilding its factory and suppliers.

Physics limits

  • The rocket equation makes payload a sliver of launch massOrbit needs about 9.4 km/s of speed change including losses. Fuel needed grows exponentially with that, so even the best rockets put only 2 to 5% of their liftoff mass into low orbit.
  • Every kilogram used to come home is a kilogram not carriedA returning booster keeps fuel for boostback and landing, plus legs or fins; this costs roughly 25 to 40% of payload versus throwing it away. Upper stages pay even more, since they are going at orbital speed.
  • Engines run at the edge of what metals surviveBig engines burn at 3,000+ °C and hundreds of bar; hot, oxygen-rich gas in the pumps can set metal on fire. Chamber pressure and reuse are capped by cooling and alloys, not by design effort.

How it works

3 parts
Not Terran R: SpaceX's Super Heavy flying back on its methane engines; Terran R's booster is meant to return the same way, to a ship at sea
Not Terran R: SpaceX's Super Heavy flying back on its methane engines; Terran R's booster is meant to return the same way, to a ship at seaPhoto: Steve Jurvetson · CC BY 2.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Booster

13 methane engines, flies back

The first stage has 13 Aeon R methane-oxygen engines and is designed to land on a ship at sea for reuse.

Upper stage

Thrown away, kept simple

A single vacuum engine drives the expendable upper stage; making it cheap matters more than reusing it for this size of rocket.

Build

Big, wide stages

At about 5.4 m wide, the stages fit large satellite batches. Relativity moved from 3D-printing structures to conventional aluminium.

Update log

5 updates

Thu 6 Nov 2025

  • Minor: PressCommercial

Oct 2023

  • Minor: OtherCommercial

Wed 22 Mar 2023

  • Minor: PressTest

Jun 2022

  • Minor: PressCommercial

Tue 8 Jun 2021

  • Major: PressFunding

About Relativity Space

The team behind Terran R

Relativity Space

Terran R reusable rocket

Relativity is building Terran R, a reusable medium-to-heavy rocket, after retiring its mostly 3D-printed Terran 1 after one flight in 2023. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt took control and became CEO in 2025.

  • Terran 1 reached space in March 2023 but its upper stage failed to reach orbit.
  • Eric Schmidt became CEO in March 2025 and funds the company.
  • Terran R's first launch from Cape Canaveral is targeted for late 2026.

relativityspace.com (opens relativityspace.com)Company profile →

Founded
201511 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Private
Valuation
private
Works in
SpaceflightLaunch
Coverage
1 program · 6 updateslatest 6 Nov 2025checked 25 Sep
Customers
SES (opens ses.com)
People
Eric Schmidt (opens en.wikipedia.org)CEOTim Ellis (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder
Primer