NASA has added Relativity Space Inc.’s Terran R to its Launch Services II, or NLS II, contract roster, making the large reusable rocket eligible for future agency missions and for other federal customers during the contract term. The move brings Terran R onto the pool of commercial providers NASA can order launches from under the existing agreement.
The NLS II awards are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts that allow NASA to buy launch services as needs arise. Orders may be placed against the contracts through June 2030, and launches procured under the arrangement may be performed through December 2032. The contract framework is designed to give mission planners access to a set of vetted providers rather than a single supplier for each launch need.
An annual on-ramp mechanism built into NLS II lets NASA add new launch companies or allow current contractors to introduce vehicles not previously listed, and Terran R was added under that provision. That process keeps the roster open to competition and allows the agency to respond to evolving launch vehicle capabilities over the life of the program.
The NLS II suite of contracts supports missions across NASA’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, Science Mission Directorate, and Research and Technology Mission Directorate. Under the agreement NASA can also supply launch services to other government agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, widening the customers who can task vehicles like Terran R.
Program management for NLS II rests with NASA’s Launch Services Program Office at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which oversees ordering and contractor qualification for the contract. With Terran R now eligible, mission teams and other federal agencies will be able to consider Relativity’s offering in future solicitations and task orders during the contract ordering window and through the program’s performance period.
