spacetoday.net: Rocket Lab delays Neutron first launch to 2025

Posted: Sun, May 12, 2024, 9:10 AM ET (1310 GMT)
Rocket Lab says its Neutron medium-lift rocket won't be ready for a first launch before the middle of 2025. The company said in an earnings call this week that it needs more time to test the Archimedes engine it is developing for Neutron, with the first such engine just now starting a test campaign. The company had previously said it hoped to have Neutron on the pad by the end of 2024, but noted that was a "green light" schedule that assumed everything went according to plan. The company also backed away from earlier forecasts of 22 Electron launches this year, citing shifting schedules by customers. Rocket Lab has conducted five Electron launches so far this year with the next scheduled for no earlier than May 22.