Relativity Space and Intelsat sign multi-launch agreement for Terran R

Written by Copernical Team Thursday, 12 October 2023 03:27

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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 12, 2023

Relativity Space has signed a multi-year, multi-launch Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with Intelsat, operator of the largest integrated space and terrestrial network in the world. Under the agreement, Relativity will launch Intelsat satellites on Terran R as early as 2026. As a medium-to-heavy-lift, reusable launch vehicle made for growing satellite launch demand and eventually multiplane

Relativity Space and Intelsat sign multi-launch agreement for Terran R
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 12, 2023

Relativity Space has signed a multi-year, multi-launch Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with Intelsat, operator of the largest integrated space and terrestrial network in the world. Under the agreement, Relativity will launch Intelsat satellites on Terran R as early as 2026.

As a medium-to-heavy-lift, reusable launch vehicle made for growing satellite launch demand and eventually multiplanetary transport, Terran R provides both government and commercial customers affordable access to space, in LEO, MEO, GEO and beyond. Relativity has a total of nine signed customers for Terran R, including multiple launches and totaling more than $1.8 billion in backlog.

"We are honored to be working with Intelsat to launch future spacecraft into their industry leading satellite fleet," said Tim Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO of Relativity Space.

"They have an incredible company and team as a world leader in content connectivity with nearly 60 satellites already in orbit. The space industry clearly requires more commercially competitive, diversified, and disruptive launch capacity. Relativity is developing Terran R as a customer-focused reusable launch vehicle to solve this need. We look forward to planning, executing, and successfully launching these missions together with Intelsat."

"After 60 years of commercial satellite launches, Intelsat and our customers have come to expect reliability, efficiency and flexibility from our launch providers," said Jean-Luc Froeliger, Intelsat Senior Vice President of Space Systems. "Relativity has developed an innovative design and production process for the Terran R, which will deliver benefits to Intelsat for years to come."

Terran R was developed to accommodate the growing demand for large constellation launch services. With a payload fairing that offers the right market fit to meet a variety of needs, Terran R supports use cases from dedicated payload deployments of constellation customers or single geosynchronous satellites to rideshare configurations for multiple customers per launch. Putting customers first, Relativity is designing and manufacturing rockets that offer high performance and reliability, while costing less to produce and fly.

Terran R is designed and manufactured at Relativity's headquarters in Long Beach, CA, which is home to its fourth generation Stargate metal 3D printers. Stage and engine testing is conducted at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Terran R will launch Intelsat missions from Space Launch Complex 16, Relativity's orbital launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.