加利福尼亚州3D印刷火箭制造商Relativity Spaceis in the process of raising $500 million in Series D funding, “people familiar with financing” have toldCNBC。
The investment will reportedly be led by new contributorsTiger Globaland忠诚，并得到长期投资者的支持社会资本,游乐场全球,Y Combinator,Bond Capitaland部落资本。经过融资回合（将相对论的总现金增加到6.85亿美元），该公司的价值预计将上升到23亿美元。
The aerospace firm is raising the additional funds despite having yet to successfully fire its 3D printed Terran 1 rocket into orbit, although it’s currently slated for a commercial launch in 2021.
A reward for Relativity’s recent progress?
相对论的完全制造的发射车，它使用其内部制造Stargate 3D printer，自2015年以来一直在开发，但它继续达到了几个关键的里程碑。该船的14-foot fuel tankwas first produced in 2017, and itsAEON 3D printed engine一直是hot-fire tested more than 200 times.
Over the last two years, the company has also utilized the cash it raised in previous funding rounds to build on its facilities, and target a lead time of 60 days for each complete rocket. In June 2019, Relativity was granted permission to build a 220,000 square foot自动火箭建筑工厂atNASA’s Stennis Space Center。
The complex in Hancock, Mississippi, was awarded to the firm on an exclusive basis, meaning that it’s been able to use the facility for both testing and assembly purposes. Earlier this year, Relativity alsomoved to a new HQ在加利福尼亚州的长滩，该公司已成为其业务运营的中心及其Terran 1生产线。
在120,000平方英尺的地点内，有300名相对论人员正在努力加速其添加剂火箭的开发，并获得了几项备受瞩目的合同。卫星生产商Iridium CommunicationsandTelesathave both contracted Relativity’s rocket, to fire their small satellites into lower earth orbit (LEO).
The company has also been selected byLockheed Martinto 3D print projectiles for an upcoming experimentalNASA测试任务。随着相对性的关闭first orbital spaceflight因此，有关持续资金回合的消息可以看作是投资者在最近取得的进展方面表现出的信心。
相对论的现金筹集：我们到目前为止所知道的
Following the它筹集了3500万美元2018年4月，以及$130 million investmentit gained in October 2019, Relativity’s ongoing funding round could take its total cash raised to $685 million. Although the potential $500 million in funding is being supported by return investors such as Jared Leto and Mark Cuban, it’s reportedly being led by first-time contributors Tiger Global.
作为亿万富翁蔡斯·科尔曼（Chase Coleman）的对冲基金，老虎全球目前管理着价值超过400亿美元的资产，而新的投资者富达国际公司（Fidelity International）则照顾了4570亿美元的客户资产。结果，两个潜在的投资者都能够为相对论的太空野心提供重大支持。
Once the fundraising is completed in the next few days, the value of Relativity Space is expected to rise to $2.3 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable private space firms. The company still has some way to go in order to match the value of its competitorSpaceXthough, which raised $2.1 billion in funding earlier this year, valuing it at $44 billion.
Relativity hasn’t confirmed or commented on the story thus far, nor has it indicated where the impending $500 million in funding could be spent. Given that the company used its last tranche of investment to move to a new HQ though, it’s possible that any additional cash will be used to continue this expansion.
加强添加空间竞赛
最近，相对论最近在其添加剂火箭的发展方面取得了重大进展，但是在轨道比赛中，其他许多航空航天公司的脚跟也很热。
英国航空公司公司Orbex宣布其3D印刷火箭将是英国新的“Sutherland太空中心。’当制造的弹丸在2022年发射时，这将是第一个从英国土地上起飞的第一个成功的商业太空飞行。
California-basedRocket Lab现在已经发射了65颗卫星，其电子火箭已有输入最终测试ahead of an upcoming mission with theU.S. Space Force。在探险期间，该公司的加性发射器将从美国空军Research Laboratory’sMonolith program into orbit.
在其他地方，航空公司公司Launcher一直是awarded $1.5 million由美国空军to further develop its rocket which reportedly features the “world’s largest liquid rocket engine combustion chamber.” The company has since signed an agreement with the Stennis Space Center, to test its engines there.
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Featured image shows a rendering of Relativity’s autonomous rocket factory at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Image via Relativity Space.
