The mission to Mars by Relativity.

Relativity Space’s Terran R rocket, in collaboration with Impulse Space Propulsion’s Mars Lander, aims to become the first commercial mission to Mars.

The launch is planned to take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a potential window opening in 2024.

The Terran R rocket, which is 3D printed, has not yet been tested.

According to experts, a commercial trip to Mars could take approximately seven months, depending on the planet’s location at launch and the speed of the spaceship. This timeline was confirmed by NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. However, a newly formed partnership between two companies focused on space exploration could potentially make this journey possible as early as 2024, using a 3D printed rocket.
Relativity Space and Impulse Space Propulsion have joined forces to send the unproven Relativity Terran R rocket on a mission to become the first commercial payload to reach the red planet. The next phase of the project aims to transport equipment directly to the surface of Mars using the Mars Cruise Vehicle and Mars Lander, both developed by Impulse.

The goal of achieving this in 2024 is highly ambitious. If the 2024 launch for Mars is successful, it would most likely place the companies significantly ahead of Elon Musk’s SpaceX project to reach Mars with the Starship by the end of the decade. According to Musk’s estimation on the SpaceX website, the flight time is estimated to be six months.
According to Tim Ellis, Relativity’s CEO and co-founder, this is a significant obstacle, but once it is accomplished, it will open up new opportunities for human experiences on two planets during our lifetime. In a press release, Ellis states that with Terran R’s delivery capabilities combined with Impulse’s in-space transportation, we are inching closer to making Mars a tangible destination for humanity.

Despite its plans to launch a Terran 1 in 2022 and its agreement with OneWeb to use the Terran R for launching low-Earth orbit satellites from 2025 onwards, Relativity has yet to launch either of these rockets. The company claims that the Terran R, which has a payload nearly 20 times larger than their first rocket, will provide cost-effective space transportation for government and commercial clients. Additionally, the Terran R is designed to act as a point-to-point cargo ship, capable of carrying out missions between Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

The company’s strategy is to utilize the Terran R spacecraft to transport the Impulse equipment onto a trajectory that will take it beyond Mars. Upon reaching Mars’ orbit, the Mars Lander, equipped with an aeroshell, will descend through the atmosphere and utilize its propulsion system to successfully touch down on the planet’s surface.
In the year 2021, Impulse Space Propulsion was established by Tom Mueller, a founding member of SpaceX. The company’s primary focus is on enhancing “last-mile space payload delivery capabilities.” Along with developing technologies for low-Earth orbit, such as satellite transportation to ideal orbits, removal of space debris, and maintenance of the space station’s orbit, Impulse also plans to prioritize missions to the moon and other planets, specifically involving landing. Furthermore, the company has already supplied products to big names in the industry, such as SpaceX, NASA, and Virgin.

Relativity has a network of test and launch locations throughout the United States, including at various U.S. Air Force and NASA facilities. Under an exclusive agreement, they have the rights to use Cape Canaveral in Florida as a launch site until 2029. However, the journey from Florida to Mars is much more complex than their Terran R launch. In a recent press release, Mueller explains that one of the most difficult challenges of landing on Mars is the “glide stage,” which requires an aeroshell to protect the lander during entry into the planet’s atmosphere.
According to him, the task is achievable, and he further states, “I have complete faith that this significant endeavor will be the first of many, thanks to the collaboration, expertise, and enthusiasm of our teams.”