Relativity Space fails to ace launch of world's 1st 3D printed rocket, but it didn't

US-based rocket manufacturing company Relativity Space launched the world's first 3D-printed rocket on Thursday in what also was the company's debut mission. The rocket named Terran 1 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 5:55 am IST and arched to orbit leaving a trail of multi-coloured fumes. Terran 1's first stage is said to have performed exactly as planned but it was the second stage which didn't allow the test flight named "Good Luck, Have Fun" (GLHF) to succeed. 

What went wrong with the mission?

The first two minutes of the mission went smoothly when Terran 1 was blasting off to the low-Earth orbit (LEO). It was three minutes into the flight when the second stage of the rocket separated from the first stage but its engines failed to ignite. While it is confirmed that the second stage fell back into the Atlantic Ocean, it is not clear which component of the rocket stage was faulty. The company will find that out in the follow-up investigations. 

Was the mission a failure? Relativity doesn't think so

Despite the mission not ending as planned, Relativity Space is still celebrating as the company says its debut rocket made it through Max Q (maximum dynamic pressure), the period when a rocket ensures maximum aerodynamic pressure during launch. "This is the biggest proof point for our novel additive manufacturing approach. Today is a huge win, with many historic firsts. We also progressed through Main Engine Cutoff and Stage Separation. We will assess flight data and provide public updates over the coming days," the company tweeted. Notably, this was the third attempt that Relativity made to launch its rocket as the previous two were hampered by technical anomalies and weather problems.

What's also worth noting is that none of the private companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and other emerging firms like Astra, Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit and ABL Space Systems has reached orbit on their first try. However, Relativity made it farther into space than any other company so far.

As for the 110-foot-tall (33 meters) Terran 1 rocket, 85% of its components are 3D printed and the company is aiming to raise it to 95%. Besides, it is also working on the Terran R fully-reusable rocket which is targeted for launch in 2024 and is capable of carrying 20,000kg to LEO as opposed to Terran 1 (1,250 kg).