Impulse Space Relativity Space has not launched a single rocket, and Impulse Space has never tested one of its thrusters in space. But on Tuesday, the two California-based companies announced their intention to launch an ambitious mission to land on the surface of Mars in less than three years. This would be the first commercial mission to Mars, and normally such a claim could be safely dismissed as absurd. But this announcement — as bold as it is — is probably worth taking seriously because of the companies and players involved. Founded in 2015, Relativity has raised more than $1 billion and is expected to launch the small Terran 1 rocket later this year. The company, which is looking to 3D print most of its vehicles, is already deep into development of the fully reusable Terran R rocket. This booster is intended to be somewhat more powerful than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and will carry the commercial mission to Mars. Relativity plans to have the Terran R rocket ready to launch in 2024, with the Mars payload flying on its first mission in late 2024 to Mars. Impulse Space is younger, less than a year old, but not without experienced engineers. The company was founded by Tom Mueller, SpaceX’s first employee and head of its propulsion division for more than a decade. Its engines power the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon vehicles. Mueller sees launch as a “solved problem” and is developing a range of non-toxic, low-cost propellants to serve the space propulsion market. Advertising
“This is a whole new era of spaceflight, and we want to be able to provide reliable, low-cost, propulsion into space,” Mueller told Ars. “We want to do it all – orbital, lunar, interplanetary.”

The conception of the mission

The mission to Mars was conceived last year when Relativity’s vice president of engineering and manufacturing, Zach Dunn, contacted Mueller. The two were old colleagues. Mueller had hired Dunn at SpaceX in 2006, where the intern soon assumed responsibility for engine testing and then the overall propulsion system for the company’s early Falcon rockets. Relativity wanted to make a splash with its first Terran R mission, and Mueller embraced the challenge. The companies devised a mission in which the Terran-R vehicle would boost a Mars Cruise Vehicle developed by Impulse Space on an orbit to Mars. Once it reached the red planet, the lander would separate from the cruise stage. This lander would leverage the airfoil technology developed by NASA for the Mars Phoenix and other vehicles, and would use the same entry speed and angle as NASA missions. The Impulse Spacecraft will then land propulsively under the power of four thrusters, similar in action to a quadcopter. With this mission plan, Impulse plans to deliver tens of kilograms of scientific payload to the surface of Mars.