NASA selects Relativity Space for 2028 Mars mission

On Tuesday, NASA announced it has hired Relativity Space to build a spacecraft, launch it, and fly it to Mars for the Aeolus mission. Set to launch in 2028, the spacecraft will house four scientific instruments to measure and image the Martian atmosphere. The mission expects to provide the first daily, global view of dust, wind, and temperature on the planet. This contract operates under a public-private partnership model—similar to NASA’s previous arrangements with SpaceX and Firefly Aerospace—which is defined as a model where private companies take on development costs in exchange for NASA budget support. Under this structure, the agency provides the scientific instruments, while the private partner supplies the infrastructure. “By pairing NASA’s world‑class instruments with commercial innovation and investment, we can deliver more science, more often, and reduce the time it takes to get essential data into the hands of researchers preparing for future human missions to Mars,” said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.

However, the mission carries significant risk. Relativity is unproven, and there’s no guarantee the mission will even make it off the ground. Past startup partners of NASA have gone bankrupt or seen moon landers arrive askew. Founded in 2015, Relativity Space has yet to reach orbit. Its first rocket design, Terran 1, launched in March 2023 but failed mid-flight. The company subsequently shifted its focus to its current rocket design, a larger design called Terran R, which must be completed alongside the Aeolus spacecraft to meet the 2028 launch timeline.

The contract represents a pivotal moment for Eric Schmidt, who became the CEO and majority stakeholder of Relativity Space last year after the company faced fundraising challenges. Schmidt is thought to be using Relativity to launch a space telescope, Lazuli, which is financed by his family philanthropy, Schmidt Sciences. If Terran R can make it to space, it could lead to a payoff for Schmidt and position the company to compete with SpaceX. While SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has long discussed Mars, the company has never actually sent its own mission to Mars; a Tesla launched into space in 2018 missed the planet. If Relativity’s Aeolus launches on schedule, it could be the first private mission to reach the Red Planet, and the company might just beat SpaceX to Mars.

Why it matters

NASA is utilizing a public-private partnership model for the Aeolus mission, where the agency handles scientific instruments while a private company provides infrastructure, aiming to stretch budgets and reduce financial risk.