Posted: Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 10:33 AM ET (1433 GMT)

Rocket Lab took a step closer to the first launch of its Neutron rocket by opening the vehicle’s launch site. A ceremony Thursday formally inaugurated Launch Complex 3, the pad the company built at Wallops Island, Virginia, to host Neutron. The pad features a launch stand, in place of a tower or strongback, a design the company said is intended to minimize refurbishment between launches. The completion of the pad is a step towards the first Neutron launch, with Rocket Lab executives holding to a “green-light schedule” that would allow that launch to take place before the end of the year, provided everything goes as planned.