Technology entrepreneur and commercial spaceflight pioneer Tim Ellis, Co-Founder and Board Member of Relativity Space, will participate in a special fireside chat at the 2026 International Mars Society Convention, taking place October 22–24 at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
As the founding CEO of Relativity Space, Ellis spent nearly a decade building the company into one of the world’s most innovative aerospace firms, growing it to more than 1,500 employees, raising over $2 billion in funding, and securing a commercial launch backlog exceeding $3 billion. In 2025, he transitioned the CEO role to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt while continuing to help guide the company’s long-term vision as a member of its Board of Directors.
Under Ellis’s leadership, Relativity Space pioneered the use of large-scale 3D printing in rocket manufacturing, culminating in the successful 2023 demonstration launch of Terran 1—the world’s first predominantly 3D-printed, methalox-powered rocket to reach space. He also led the early development of the company’s next-generation reusable heavy-lift rocket, Terran R, and helped establish major launch and manufacturing facilities at Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
Ellis has also been a strong advocate for humanity’s future on Mars, leading Relativity Space’s commercial Mars mission partnership with Impulse Space while advancing technologies designed to make interplanetary transportation more affordable and scalable.
During his fireside chat, Ellis will discuss the future of commercial launch systems, reusable rockets, additive manufacturing, the rapidly evolving space industry, and the technologies that could help make a sustained human presence on Mars a reality. The conversation will also explore entrepreneurship, innovation, and what lies ahead for the next generation of space exploration.
Following the discussion, Ellis will answer questions from both the in-person audience at USC and viewers joining virtually from around the world, providing attendees with a unique opportunity to engage directly with one of the commercial space industry’s leading innovators.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of the most influential entrepreneurs shaping the future of commercial spaceflight and the journey to Mars. To learn more about the 2026 International Mars Society Convention, including registration information, visit marssociety.org.
