Rocket Lab delays Neutron debut again
Posted: Sat, Oct 17, 2026, 11:32 AM ET (1532 GMT)
Rocket Lab has pushed back the first launch of its Neutron rocket to sometime in 2027. The company said in an update posted after the markets closed Wednesday that it encountered a problem producing a large carbon composite structure called the forward dome for the rocket's first stage propellant tanks. Rocket Lab said it has identified and corrected the problem but that effort means the company won't be able to launch Neutron this year. The company will wait until after it has completed and tested the fully assembled first stage, a milestone planned for the first quarter of 2027, before setting a new launch date. This is the latest in a series of schedule slips for Neutron, Rocket Lab's medium-class reusable rocket, which was originally scheduled to start launching in 2024.
Rocket Lab has pushed back the first launch of its Neutron rocket to sometime in 2027. The company said in an update posted after the markets closed Wednesday that it encountered a problem producing a large carbon composite structure called the forward dome for the rocket's first stage propellant tanks. Rocket Lab said it has identified and corrected the problem but that effort means the company won't be able to launch Neutron this year. The company will wait until after it has completed and tested the fully assembled first stage, a milestone planned for the first quarter of 2027, before setting a new launch date. This is the latest in a series of schedule slips for Neutron, Rocket Lab's medium-class reusable rocket, which was originally scheduled to start launching in 2024.
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