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Launch and space systems company Rocket Lab USA Inc. has selected NASA’s historic Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi as the location of its engine test facility for the reusable rocket it's developing called Neutron.
The Archimedes Test Complex will be located within the larger A Test Complex at Stennis across a 1 million-square-foot area for 10 years, with an option to extend the lease for an additional decade.
The company didn't provide financial details of the lease or the estimated cost for the construction.
The deal includes exclusive use and development of existing industrial NASA infrastructure and the center’s A-3 Test Stand to develop and test Neutron’s Archimedes reusable engines.
Long Beach, California-based Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) said it also secured a capital investment incentive from the Mississippi Development Authority to further develop the facilities and infrastructure at Stennis for Neutron. The company said it expects Stennis’ expansion will create dozens of new jobs, and it plans to make significant capital investments in the state.
Rocket Lab aims for Neutron to be a cost-effective, reliable and responsive launch service to help build mega-constellations; deliver large spacecraft to low-Earth orbit, geostationary orbit and interplanetary destinations; and support a sustained human presence in space.
The company plans to power Neutron with Archimedes reusable rocket engines designed and manufactured in-house, and an advanced upper stage to enable high performance for complex satellite deployments.
“Before rockets flew to the moon, they first had to go through Mississippi, and as we build a new rocket to reshape space access once again, Stennis is a fitting location for Neutron,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. “Creating a test complex from scratch to the scale and complexity needed to test and develop Archimedes would have had an inconceivably long lead time, so the fact that we’ve secured Stennis and can leverage its existing infrastructure and test stand puts us on the fast-track to Neutron’s first launch.”
“Stennis Space Center’s legacy in rocket engine testing, established infrastructure and skilled workforce will be both a boost to Neutron’s development and help grow Mississippi’s already robust aerospace test capabilities, securing a future for the state in innovative technology development,” added Shaun D’Mello, Rocket Lab's vice president for launch systems.
Rocket Lab said it plans to begin construction on the Archimedes Test Complex “quickly” but didn't provide a date. The company said construction is continuing at pace on the Neutron production facility and launch site at Wallops Island, within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Combined, the two sites represent more than 2 million square feet of operations for Neutron’s production, testing and launch facilities.
Rocket Lab said it plans to further expand throughout the United States as the Neutron program works toward its first launch.
