NASA announces a public-private partnership with Relativity Space to advance Mars science by integrating NASA’s Aeolus instrument payload with Relativity Space’s spacecraft, rocket, and cruise operations for delivery to Mars.

The Aeolus payload will carry four instruments—DWTS-Ozone, TLS, SuRSeP, and WFCC—to study Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds, aiding safer mission planning and entry, descent, and landing.

NASA will support operations of the science instruments for at least one Martian year and develop a data-processing pipeline to produce usable data for the broader scientific community.

Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, became Relativity Space’s CEO in 2025 after the company’s earlier Terran 1—the world’s first 3D-printed rocket—had a failed flight.

Relativity Space faces development risks due to the lack of a successful orbital launch to date, with Terran 1’s 2023 failure and the Terran R still under development.

Aviation Week’s Irene Klotz reports the story in the Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, indicating subscription access is required for full article details.

Relativity Space’s larger Terran R rocket is anticipated to have its first launch later in 2026, with the company planning a late-2026 debut of Terran R as a two-stage, reusable vehicle.

Founded in 2016, Relativity Space aims to debut Terran R in late 2026 and moved to CEO in March 2025 under Schmidt’s leadership.

The article notes a NASA agreement value but does not disclose the contract amount in the excerpt.

Relativity Space, led by Schmidt after his majority stake, must design and build the spacecraft and launch vehicle within a tight timeline, with NASA not disclosing the contract value.

Relativity Space’s background includes 3D-printed rocket development and a shift from smaller rockets to larger designs like Terran R, amid fundraising and leadership changes.

Aeolus represents a milestone for Relativity Space as it aims to expand from near-Earth projects to a major deep-space role with Terran R and the new Mars spacecraft.