Thursday, September 7, 2023

Breaking more ground at Stennis

JACKSON, Miss. - Rocket company Relativity Space has broken ground on a new vertical test stand at the A-2 complex located at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss. 

In October 2022, Relativity announced a $267M expansion at Stennis. The new test stand, part of the larger expansion, will support advanced vertical stage testing for Terran R, the company’s medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket.

The entire project, which includes several new engine test stands, a full-scale second stage stand, office buildings and a vehicle hangar, will enable Relativity to increase its testing, increase the speed of iterative learning cycles and shorten speed to market.

Originally designed to withstand a maximum thrust of 1.5M pounds, the A-2 test stand is being upgraded to accommodate thrust of 3M+ pounds, positioning it at the forefront of America’s commercial space program. 

The expansion brings Relativity’s total footprint at the site to nearly 300 acres, making it the largest commercial presence at Stennis. 

Relativity also has 10-year leases for the E-2 and E-4 stands and has commercial use agreements for the E-1 site with continued improvements in the R-Complex for new engine and stage test infrastructure. (MDA 09/07/23) Relativity Space breaks ground on new test stand at Stennis Space Center | Mighty Mississippi

No comments: