California-based Relativity Space, a company engaged in the designing, 3D printing, and flying of its own rockets, has entered into an agreement with NASA’s Stennis Space Center for a major expansion of its rocket and engine testing facilities in Hancock County, Mississippi.

The company is being supported by The Mississippi Development Authority in this expansion project which will focus on an area of 153 acres near the E-4 Test Complex providing expanded room for its operations for the Terran R rocket and Aeon R engine testing.

Relativity Space has already initiated ground clearing for the construction of new engine standards, office buildings, and a vehicle facility. The company is already housed in several other locations across the Stennis complex with testing of engines and rockets taking place through existing agreements apart from this new project.

Analyst QuickTake: Relativity Space is considered one of the most valuable private space startups after Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with total funding of over USD 1.3bn to date. Its rockets are designed to be almost entirely 3D-printed, an approach the company says offers a simplified supply chain compared to traditional rockets, allowing it to build a rocket with 100x fewer parts in less than 2 months. Relativity is scheduled for its first launch of Terran 1 in 2022 making it the first orbital attempt by the company. Terran 1, a two-stage, 110ft. tall, expendable rocket, is the largest 3D-printed object to attempt orbital flight. The company is also developing Terran R, a fully reusable, 3D-printed rocket capable of launching 20,000kg to low Earth orbit, which has the potential to compete against powerful rockets such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 if successful.