Eric Schmidt joins the relativity space as CEO

Former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, takes on the CEO of Relativity Space, a 9-year-old rocket startup, a company spokesman confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch. This is Schmidt’s first job as he left Google nearly 15 years ago.

On Monday, Schmidt told employees about a relaxing space that he made a significant investment and took a controlling share in the companyNew York Times for the first time reported.

Schmidt inherits the co -founder of the startup team Ellis as CEO. In a PostEllis noted that he would continue to support the relativity space as a director on the company.

Schmidt joins the relativity space just as the company is preparing for Starting Terran R 2026A larger rocket than what started before, this would compete with SpaceX and Falcon Heavy’s Falcon 9. In anticipation of the first launch of Terran R, the Relativity Space has scored nearly $ 3 billion in customer launch contracts, The Times reports.

Schmidt was Google CEO for approximately 10 years. He was brought to run the fast -paced search company in 2001, as the Google board pressed its young founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page to allow an experienced business leader to take over the reins.

Schmidt will now become CEO of the relativity at a critical moment in the history of the company. He can offer the missile launch of both capital and experience to help him guide him by launching Terran R. In addition, Schmidt is quite well connected in Washington, Colombia County, which could potentially support the space for relevance with government officials in future launches.

The space of relativity is known for the production of its rockets with unusual techniques, including the use of 3D printers, automated robots and artificial intelligence. Early the company announced a plan for Launch Mars’s first private space mission By 2024, however, some challenges slow down these wooden stages.

In 2023, Space Relativity successfully launched its Terran 1 rocket, demonstrating that its 3D-printed technology can function effectively. However, Terran 1 failed to reach orbit. A month later, the launch announced that it would stop Terran 1 from focusing entirely on the development of Terran R.

Long Beach -based missile company is reported faced with a shortage of money in 2024 and fights to recruit additional fundingBloomberg previously reported. Previous investors in the relativity space include Mark Cubin, bleak and faithfulness.

While the management of a rocket company is quite different from the management of a search engine company, Schmidt has proven to be a valuable operator that can effectively grow start -ups in the past. With fierce competition in the space industry – from companies such as SpaceX, Rocket Lab and Blue Origin – it seems that the relativity space can benefit from someone like Schmidt at the forefront.