Rocket Lab pushes first Neutron launch to 2027 after tank flaw
Rocket Lab says its new Neutron rocket will not fly until 2027. Engineers found air pockets in a carbon fiber dome on a fuel tank of the rocket's first stage. CEO Peter Beck says the problem is solved, but building a new dome pushed the date back.
Rocket Lab says its Neutron rocket will not make its first launch until 2027, after engineers found a flaw while making parts of its fuel tanks, Ars Technica and Aviation Week reported.
CEO Peter Beck announced the delay in an Oct. 14 update, citing problems with the first stage's propellant tank, Aviation Week reported. Ars Technica called it public confirmation of what most of the space industry already expected. In August, the company had still hoped to get the first Neutron to its launch pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, by the end of this year.
The problem is in the domes at the ends of the first stage's tanks. "Recently, we identified an issue with the manufacturing process for the propellant domes specifically, and this caused us to delay production and investigate further," Beck said in a video, Ars Technica reported.
Inspections found voids, or air pockets, between the layers of carbon fiber in a newly made forward dome. Beck said they could affect the structure's strength and reliability. "They don't necessarily mean that the dome would fail in flight, but our practice is to proceed only when we believe the system has the appropriate margins," he said.
The voids were traced to a design change made after a Neutron tank ruptured during a pressure test in January, Ars Technica reported. That change made some carbon sections thicker. "Those thicker sections are where the voids formed," Beck said.
Beck said Neutron's first stage is the "largest pressurized structure ever made out of carbon composite," and parts are too big for the usual high-pressure ovens used to cure them. Rocket Lab changed its process again, and an aft dome made the new way passed inspection. "We've solved the problem," Beck said. Building a new forward dome and the time spent on the fix pushed the launch to next year.
Much work remains, Ars Technica reported. Final testing of the first stage and of the rocket's Archimedes engines is still pending. Rocket Lab announced Neutron in 2021, aiming for a first flight in 2024.
What we know: Neutron's first launch has slipped to 2027 because of a tank dome flaw.
What we don't: When in 2027 the rocket will fly.
Where outlets agree Ars Technica and Aviation Week both report that Rocket Lab has pushed Neutron's first launch to 2027 over a first-stage tank manufacturing problem.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.