Rocket Lab's New Rocket Delayed to 2027 by Carbon Fiber Flaw
This delay could mean fewer satellite launches and slower internet from space.
Rocket Lab says its Neutron rocket won't fly until 2027, after engineers found voids — air pockets between layers of carbon fiber — in the dome sections at the ends of the first stage's propellant tanks. Founder and CEO Peter Beck called it a manufacturing defect, and said such voids "don't necessarily mean that the dome would fail in flight," but that Rocket Lab proceeds only when it believes the system has the appropriate margins.
The problem was traced to a recent design change introduced after a Neutron propellant tank unexpectedly ruptured during a hydrostatic pressure test in January. Rocket Lab says it has since modified the manufacturing process again, and an aft propellant dome made with the updated procedure passed inspection.
"We've solved the problem," Beck said. Neutron is significantly larger than Rocket Lab's Electron and is designed to be reusable, with its first stage returning to land on an offshore platform.
- Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket is delayed to 2027 due to a manufacturing flaw in its carbon fiber fuel tanks.
- The flaw, tiny air pockets between carbon fiber layers, could weaken the rocket and was found after a design change.
- This delays competition with SpaceX and could affect the cost and availability of satellite launches.
Why It Matters
Fewer rocket options could mean slower, more expensive satellite internet and space services for everyone.