Relativity Space Scores Department of Defense Contract

Rachel Uranga

Rachel Uranga is dot.LA's Managing Editor, News. She is a former Mexico-based market correspondent at Reuters and has worked for several Southern California news outlets, including the Los Angeles Business Journal and the Los Angeles Daily News. She has covered everything from IPOs to immigration. Uranga is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and California State University Northridge. A Los Angeles native, she lives with her husband, son and their felines.

Relativity Space Scores Department of Defense Contract

Relativity Space landed a contract with the Department of Defense' Defense Innovation Unit to launch a payload into orbit in 2023.

The contract is seen as a win because it can help set up Relativity long-term with the department. The unit is focused on scaling commercial space, artificial Intelligence and other technologies across the U.S. military and often works with companies in early development.


Under the contract, Relativity's Terran 1 will launch a load between 450kg and 1,200 kgs.

"The Defense Innovation Unit is a group whose innovative approach aligns with the work we are doing at Relativity to revolutionize the future of aerospace," said Relativity CEO Tim Ellis. "I'm excited for what our teams will accomplish together as we look forward to launching our first DoD payload set."

Last year the company landed a $500 million raise and moved its headquarters to Long Beach.

The agreement represents the ninth announced launch customer for Relativity. It's the third government client including NASA.
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