spacetoday.net: Rocket Lab warns first Neutron launch may slip to 2027

Posted: Sun, Aug 16, 2026, 10:51 AM ET (1451 GMT)
Rocket Lab warned the first launch of its Neutron rocket might be delayed to next year. In an earnings call Monday, the company said it is still working to get the first Neutron on the pad in the fourth quarter of this year, but acknowledged a "narrowing" window this year for the launch itself. Rocket Lab announced in 2021 it would develop Neutron, a medium-lift reusable rocket, with a goal then of a first launch in 2024, but that first flight has gradually slipped. Rocket Lab said it continues to see strong demand for Neutron despite development delays, including a contract announced Monday with Kepler Communications to launch a set of optical relay satellites on that rocket no earlier than 2028.