[5] Relativity Space was founded in 2015 by CEO Tim Ellis and CTO Jordan Noone on the idea that existing private spaceflight companies were not tapping enough into the potential of additive manufacturing (3D printing).

[13][14] On March 23, 2023 (UTC) the company launched its first rocket, but it experienced failure during its second stage of flight and failed to reach orbit.

[18] Relativity Space announced a new 11,000-square-metre (120,000 sq ft) Long Beach, California headquarters and factory in February 2020.

[20] According to an interview with CEO Tim Ellis in early 2020, the factory is planned to have no fixed tooling, which is hoped to allow it to be rapidly reconfigured and autonomous.

[22]In 2024, with the headquarters building completed, the company looked to have permitting approved for a 200 foot tall test stand.

[24] In mid-2019, Relativity Space planned to create 200 jobs and invest US$59 million in Mississippi over the course of this nine-year lease, which carries an option to extend for another 10 years.

[24]In late 2023, the company expanded its presence at the site with an agreement to lease the A-2 test stand in order to perform vertical testing on Terran R.[25] In January 2019, Relativity Space announced that it won a competitive bidding process with the United States Air Force to build and operate Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

[26]In April 2024, the company shared an update on the site that initial groundwork for the Terran R launch pad was complete with water line installation in progress.

Compared to the smaller, expendable Terran 1, it is constructed using the same 3D printing technologies, but is substantially larger, with a maximum payload capacity of 33,500 kg (73,900 lb) to low Earth orbit.

[36] In order to 3D print large components such as rocket tanks and airframes, Relativity Space has created a system named Stargate, which it claims is the world's largest 3D printer of metals.

[42] On 5 April 2019, Relativity Space announced its first signed contract, with Telesat, a Canadian telecom satellite operator.

[42] This contract included up to six dedicated launches to deploy ground spare satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) for Iridium NEXT's constellation on Relativity's Terran 1 vehicle.

[47] Lockheed Martin announced on 16 October 2020, that it will launch a cryogenic liquid hydrogen management demonstration mission on Terran 1.

Lockheed Martin also specified that the launch will make use of Momentus' Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle to house the cryogenic payload.