NASA’s New Mars Partnership Sets Up A Private Race With SpaceX

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NASA is turning to a commercial newcomer to reach the Red Planet. Through a newly announced public-private partnership, the agency has selected Relativity Space to build, launch, and operate a Mars orbiter mission scheduled for 2028, thereby leveraging commercial investments to speed up scientific discovery and lower the costs of deep space exploration.

The deal is a massive victory for Relativity Space, the rocket manufacturer acquired last year by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt after the startup stumbled on its initial development plans. Under a novel six-year reimbursable Space Act Agreement, Relativity will privately develop and manage the spacecraft, providing its upcoming Terran R rocket for the launch alongside cruise operations to guide the vehicle to Mars. Similar to contracts made recently with Firefly Aerospace (moon lander with drones) and SpaceX (cargo to ISS), NASA is acting as a key customer and scientific partner.

NASA's primary contribution to...

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