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The decision to purchase the facility comes about after Relativity

June 8, 2019 by Katherine Berry

The decision to purchase the facility comes about after Relativity announced two weeks ago that it would begin a four-year contract to build the facility, with the goal of making it a world-class launch site. The company is working on a 3D printing facility with two of its rockets in orbit, and currently has more than 100 employees at the company's base at the Air Force Base of Florida.

According to Relativity, the site would provide a new, more flexible and accessible way to launch and operate its rockets. The company has been working on a long-term space station deal with the Air Force and has worked with SpaceX on a reusable Launch System for its Dragon spacecraft.

"We've been working closely with the Space Launch System (SDS) group in order to get this right. And it was very difficult to get that right because of the complexity of the facilities and the complexity of the business model to build and operate," Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis said. "And we've been working very hard to get to the right place, and have it deliver to our customers, that's the goal of this agreement."

The launch facility, which is based on two SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

The company has not officially announced what the site will entail, but Relativity Space hopes that by the end of 2016, two to three full-scale rocket launches could be carried out at the facility.

There are currently five rockets at the site, with the latest one being the Falcon 9, and all three will likely launch from the Cape Canaveral spaceport.

"We would like to see this facility become a world-class launch site, to be able to operate the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, and launch those other rockets that we've been talking about," Ellis said.

The company is also looking to build a new 3D printing facility, which would give it the capability of printing and assembling an entire rocket at the site.

Additionally, Relativity has plans to expand its spaceflight operations to a new, more modern facility in Cape Canaveral, in order to provide a better experience for customers.

"This is one of those things that we think will be a very good way to expand our capabilities, including the ability to create and launch the next generation of spaceflight products," Ellis said. “Relativity Space will continue to build and expand the space operations facility at Launch Complex 16. The two-year deal is valued at $1.36 billion, according to Space.