Rocket Lab delays Neutron rocket first flight to 2027

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 18:20 · Archive

Rocket Lab has postponed the first launch of its Neutron medium-lift rocket to 2027 due to manufacturing defects in carbon composite structures.

Rocket Lab announced Wednesday that its Neutron launch vehicle will not fly until 2027, citing manufacturing issues discovered during production of the rocket's carbon composite structures. The company had previously suggested it might deliver the first Neutron rocket to its launch pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, before the end of the year, though a first flight in 2027 was considered likely even then.

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive, identified defects in the manufacturing process for the propellant domes at the ends of the rocket's first stage. Engineers discovered voids, or air pockets, between layers of carbon fiber that make up these dome sections. Carbon composite manufacturing involves laying down carbon fiber layers in a mold, then curing the material in heat to bind the fibers together, a process that is particularly challenging for large structures that cannot fit into a standard autoclave, the high-pressure thermal curing chamber used in aerospace manufacturing.

Neutron's reusable first stage uses carbon composite structures for their low weight, high strength and corrosion resistance. However, carbon composites in aerospace are generally harder to manufacture than metallic structures. Rocket Lab announced the Neutron rocket in 2021 with an initial target of a first flight in 2024.

How it is being reported

• Rocket Lab announces another delay for its medium-lift Neutron rocketRocket Lab announced the Neutron rocket in 2021, aiming for a first flight in 2024.Ars Technica · 15 Oct, 17:57
• Rocket Lab pushes back first Neutron launch to 2027Carbon composite woes cause another delay for Peter Beck's Hungry HippoThe Register · 15 Oct, 13:15

In this story: Rocket Lab · Peter Beck · Wallops Island · Virginia

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem