Rocket Lab achieves multiple milestones in Neutron development

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Rocket Lab is making rapid progress in its quest to get its medium-lift launcher, Neutron, ready for launch by the second half of this year.

Multiple tests of both the first and second stages of the rocket are in progress, contracts are being awarded for Rocket Lab to secure, and the Launch Complex 3 pad at Wallops Island in Virginia is under continuous development. With all this underway, there is much to look forward to in the program’s near future.

Staging qualifications

Neutron already has its two main sections assembled for testing. Rocket Lab qualified the second stage in early April by applying 1.3 million pounds of tensile force to the carbon composite structure. These tests conducted pressurization and proof testing at 125% of the maximum operating pressure and mechanical loads. Flight-like operations were also performed that integrated the flight software, avionics, GNC systems, and more in cryogenic conditions to ensure that everything operated as expected.

The first stage has also recently undergone a rigorous testing campaign to qualify the outer shell for flight. Since Neutron features reusable and permanently attached fairings on the first stage, they were tested along with the canards and the extended interstage of the vehicle.

Rocket Lab noted that the interstage contains some of the most complex mechanical systems on the entire vehicle, so with these qualifications complete, the rocket is increasingly closer to becoming flight-ready. The company also noted that the first stage will head to Wallops Island on the east coast in the near future, to be integrated into the vehicle’s first stage. 

Contracts are now being awarded to Rocket Lab for the Neutron rocket, signaling confidence that it will be operational in the near future. Earlier this year, Neutron was selected for onboarding into the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program.

This allows Rocket Lab to compete for missions using Neutron on contracts worth up to $5.6 billion in potential funding over a five-year period. Because Neutron is a brand-new rocket, Rocket Lab will likely receive around $100 million. However, this program is specifically designed for newer vehicles such as Neutron, targeting higher-risk missions with less sensitive payloads.

Rocket Lab has also signed a contract with a confidential commercial satellite constellation operator to launch two missions using Neutron. These will likely be the first test flights with this unknown provider. If all goes well, there is a strong chance that Rocket Lab could secure many more contracts to deploy this constellation into low-Earth orbit.

The most recent contract awarded to Rocket Lab for Neutron has come from the Air Force Research Lab. This contract focuses explicitly on point-to-point cargo delivery. It will likely involve Neutron launching without a second stage and utilizing its first stage to enter a suborbital trajectory, where it will land in other parts of the world that require those supplies.

This mission is scheduled for 2026, which is ambitious since Rocket Lab would already need to have reusability figured out for this type of transportation to function effectively. If the company succeeds, it could create an entirely new industry within the aerospace sector. 

Launch Complex 3

Significant work is underway on Launch Complex-3 (LC-3) at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Virginia to prepare it for multiple launches of Neutron. For a brand new pad, LC-3 has been developing at a remarkable pace. LC-3 already has the launch platform for Neutron completed with an operational water deluge ready to take the brunt of the force from nine of Rocket Lab’s in-house Archimedes engines. Rocket Lab has announced that the launch site is preparing to officially open “soon.”

Rocket Lab has already managed Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at MARS for flights of its Electron rocket since 2018. The first launch of Electron from LC-2 occurred in 2023, nearly five years after the development of the site began.

The company announced in 2022 that Neutron would receive its own launch site at MARS. If the expected 2026 flight date materializes, Rocket Lab will be at least a year ahead of where Electron was at a comparable stage — all while developing Neutron throughout this period.

Rocket Lab recently unveiled its droneship, Return on Investment – a 122 m modified barge on which Neutron will land its first stage downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Construction has likely already begun, and it is expected to be in service as early as 2026. This ocean platform will give Rocket Lab flexibility to land and recover Neutron either at sea or back at the launch site.

Archimedes

Rocket Lab is keeping most details about its new oxidizer-rich staged combustion cycle engine, Archimedes, under wraps until it meets its designed specifications. No information has been released since August 2024, but during this time, Rocket Lab successfully hot-fired the engine for the first time. This occurred at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where the engine reached 102 percent power and reached other key test objectives that were not disclosed.

Following the success of the Archimedes test campaign, Rocket Lab began full-scale production to build the 10 engines required for Neutron’s inaugural flight.

Neutron is becoming increasingly tangible with each passing day. From the testing and qualification of the vehicle and its Archimedes engines to the ongoing work at LC-3 and the contracts it is securing, every step forms part of Rocket Lab’s path toward its maiden flight. If all goes well, this rocket could launch as soon as the middle of this year.

(Lead image: Testing of Neutron’s second stage. Credit: Rocket Lab)

The post Rocket Lab achieves multiple milestones in Neutron development appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.



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