After two attempts to launch on Saturday, Mar. 11, Relativity Space's 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket was unsuccessful.

This was not the first time. Last week, a launch attempt for Terran was scrapped because oxygen temperatures in the rocket's second stage landed beyond normal limits, preventing the rocket from taking off.

Terran 1's Second Test Flight

On Saturday, due to "upper-level wind violations," the second launch attempt at 1:45 PM ET has been moved back to 2:45 PM ET, as announced through Twitter by Relativity Space.

Notably, the countdown was reportedly disrupted by a boat approaching the spacecraft's range. Engadget said the clock started ticking again, but only briefly.

After the nine Aeon engines powering Terran 1's first stage failed to ignite, the launch was called off. Takeoff was delayed until 4:00 PM ET because of what Relativity Space called a "launch commit criteria violation" caused by the engine failure.

The space agency tweeted that the stage separation automation correctly aborted at T.5 seconds due to a "corner case," as PCMag reported. Because of this, the Relativity Space team updated the vehicle automation and was able to effectively recycle the vehicle before the second try.

Nevertheless, this final attempt to deploy the 3D-printed rocket was again called off before the engines were lit, this time because of an "automated abort on stage 2 fuel pressure, which was only one PSI low" at T-45 seconds.

To elaborate, Relativity Space tweeted, "The team went HARD today and we intend to do so during our next attempt. More to come on the new launch date and window soon."

 
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The Future of Space Rockets

Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone established Relativity Space with the intention of proving that the price of launching a rocket into orbit could be drastically reduced by using 3D printing processes.

Terran 1, a 35-meter 3D-printed rocket, is one of the smallest orbital spacecraft. About 85% of Terran 1's mass and its whole structure are 3D printed. It has 10 3D-printed engines for the first and second stages.

Ellis and Noone are planning to build a second rocket with 95% of its mass coming from 3D-printed components.

Relativity Space says that the Terran 1 can launch 1,250kg into low-Earth orbit, despite its unconventional production method. Yet, since this is just a test flight, no cargo will be included in the following orbital journey.

The firm has said that, barring any unforeseen problems, each mission would cost $12 million. Meanwhile, SpaceX's orbital launch services for payloads weighing up to 22,000 kg cost roughly $67 million, so this is a significant saving.

The mission's focus on testing whether 3D-printed rockets can withstand space's harsh conditions means that even a failed attempt at an orbital flight by Terran 1 would have significant implications.

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