NASA has tapped Relativity Space to launch a Mars orbiter dubbed Aeolus. Former Google chief Eric Schmidt bought the 3D‑printing rocket firm in 2025 and now provides the spacecraft, launch vehicle and cruise operations for the mission, slated for a 2028 launch. The mission will transport NASA’s science payload to study the Martian atmosphere. The partnership mirrors NASA’s growing reliance on private launch providers.

Aeolus will carry four NASA‑built instruments designed at Ames Research Center to deliver the first global, daily view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust and clouds. The Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder will profile winds, while the Thermal Limb Sounder maps temperature and cloud layers. A Surface Radiometric Sensor Package measures surface energy balance, and a Wide‑Field Context Camera snapshots atmospheric activity each day.

By mapping atmospheric dynamics, Aeolus aims to cut landing risks for future crewed and robotic missions, giving engineers precise data for entry, descent and landing systems. The mission also serves as a proof‑of‑concept for Relativity Space’s Interplanetary Sciences Program, though the company has yet to disclose technical details of the launch vehicle. Success would validate its capacity for large‑scale deep‑space contracts.