NASA Selects Relativity Space for Mars Mission, Creating Competition with SpaceX

NASA has selected Relativity Space, a rocket company majority-owned by former Google executive chair Eric Schmidt, to build and launch a spacecraft carrying scientific instruments to Mars. The mission, called Aeolus, represents a significant bet on a relatively unproven commercial spaceflight partner and marks a notable shift in how NASA is funding ambitious deep-space exploration through public-private partnerships.

The Aeolus spacecraft will carry four instruments designed to provide the first daily, global measurements of dust, winds, and temperature in Mars's atmosphere. This data is intended to improve safety for future landers and human missions to the Red Planet. The mission follows NASA's established model of contracting with private companies for launch and spacecraft infrastructure while retaining control of scientific instruments and mission objectives—a structure similar to existing partnerships with SpaceX for International Space Station cargo missions and Firefly Aerospace for lunar lander services.

The launch is scheduled for 2028, requiring Relativity to design and build the spacecraft and complete development of its Terran R rocket within a tight timeline. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, who has personally flown to space twice on SpaceX missions, emphasized that the partnership allows NASA to achieve more science at reduced cost by sharing development expenses with the private sector. However, the arrangement carries substantial risk: Relativity remains an unproven launch provider, and past commercial partners have encountered failures, bankruptcies, or mission anomalies.

Relativity Space was founded in 2015 by two former SpaceX and Blue Origin engineers with the goal of using 3D printing technology to manufacture cheaper rockets. The company's first vehicle, Terran-1, failed during its March 2023 maiden flight. After encountering fundraising difficulties, Schmidt acquired a majority stake in 2025 and assumed the CEO role, reportedly viewing Relativity as a vehicle for launching orbital data centers and a space telescope called Lazuili financed through his family foundation, Schmidt Sciences.

The contract potentially positions Relativity to beat SpaceX to Mars, a symbolic achievement given that Elon Musk has long emphasized Mars colonization while SpaceX has never launched its own dedicated Mars mission. Schmidt and Musk have been vocal sparring partners on artificial intelligence policy. Financial details of the NASA contract were not disclosed, and the broader commercial viability of deep-space transport services remains uncertain despite growing demand for new launch capacity prompted by delays at Blue Origin.