Yesterday, apart of the company’s quarterly earnings report, Rocket Lab revealed a bunch of new Neutron updates with both physical progress along with plans for the vehicle. This included the first video of the hungry hippo fairings in action.
They also showcased a massive landing vessel scheduled to debut this year and begin being used in missions as soon as 2026.
Neutron Developments
In regard to the fairings, Rocket Lab tweeted saying, “Neutron’s Hungry Hippo fairing is alive. These two halves remain attached to Neutron’s first stage, opening up to let the second stage and payload through, before closing up again and landing back on Earth ready for reuse.” This included a nearly minute-long video highlighting the process.
In theory, what lands back on the launch pad is a compete first stage with fairings attached, ready for a new second stage to be integrated and launched. The company was quoted saying, “This advanced design can speed up launch frequency, eliminates the high cost, low reliability method of capturing fairings at sea, and enables the second stage to be lightweight and nimble. Originally this design featured the fairing split into four different sections but has since been reduced to just two.
The next significant update had to do with the new landing vessel. Specifically, the company revealed that they already possess and are working on a massive ship meant to be used as a landing pad for Neutron’s first stage, similar to what Blue Origin is trying with Jacklyn. The vessel is named Return On Investment, and is a 400 ft (122 m) long modified barge. For comparison, that’s longer than both Blue Origin’s Jacklyn and SpaceX’s drone ships. In terms of footage and images, so far, they have only released a few photos of the ship along with a rendering of a booster landing.
Operated out of the U.S. East Coast, the landing platform is built upon a modified barge – the ‘Oceanus’ supplied by Canal Barge Inc., a New Orleans-based, private marine transportation company – and named after a Greek Titan.
In a statement the company said, “Modifications will include autonomous ground support equipment to capture and secure the landed Neutron, blast shielding to protect equipment during Neutron landings, and station-keeping thrusters for precise positioning. The Company has acquired the barge and Construction of ‘Return On Investment’ will take place throughout 2025, with expectations of being ready to enter service in 2026.”
For reference, Neutron is expected to be capable of two main flight profiles. One of which the booster returns to the launch site for a landing on the ground and another with a downrange landing on the Return On Investment vessel. The downrange landing is intended to maximize Neutron’s performance by requiring less fuel reserves than if it were to return to Launch Complex 3.
Looking at the few images provided, it seems that as of right now the ship is without and buildings or structures on the deck. Based on the render along with what the company has said, over the next few months we can expect work to build this ship up in preparation for use in 2026.
If that wasn’t enough, the company also confirmed they are still targeting a maiden flight of the vehicle by the second half of 2025. This is an extremely ambitious timeline that very easily could be pushed back toward early 2026. However, the company seems quite confident. Peter Beck was quoted saying, “We’re working hard to bring Neutron online with one of the fastest development schedules in history for a new rocket, because we know medium-lift launch opportunities are limited and space access is being stifled. Neutron’s debut launch planned for later this year will help to ease that bottleneck, and our new landing platform will open space access even further by enabling even more mission opportunities that require maximum Neutron performance” he said.
Since the start of Neutron development, Rocket Lab has provided a rough timeline showcasing major developments and their progress. Some of the items marked as in progress include the Flight Mechanisms Test Program, Engine qualification, Stage 1 qualification, Launch Complex 3 construction, and even regulatory approval for the maiden flight. Once these are done, the only steps left include a static fire of both stages, vehicle integration, and a wet dress rehearsal. In only the next few months, the company’s progress should be a great indicator of whether or not a launch late this year is possible or if the company will need more time.
New Satellites
Keeping the theme of new announcements going, the company also revealed its new satellite constellation they plan to launch. It’s named Flatellite, and they describe it as “a new satellite that can be produced in high volumes and tailored for large constellations, targeting high value applications and national security missions.”
In a statement they said, “A scalable, long-life, high-power, stackable satellite, Flatellite enables secure, low-latency, high-speed connectivity and remote sensing capability for national security, defense, and commercial markets.” The satellites are meant to employ a low-profile, stackable structure to maximize the number of satellites that can be deployed per launch and have seamless integration with Rocket Lab’s own Neutron rocket.
They go on to say, “Flatellite is the culmination of a very deliberate and strategic approach, through both acquisitions and organic product development, to become a uniquely vertically integrated satellite manufacturer. Flatellite integrates Rocket Lab’s heritage components and subsystems, including propulsion, flight software, avionics, reaction wheels, star trackers, separation system, solar arrays, and more. This approach enables rapid, high-volume production of Flatellite without compromising performance or reliability,” they said.
Peter Beck added, “The need for large, reliable satellite constellations continues to grow across defense and commercial markets. The industry is hungry for versatile satellites that are affordable and built fast in high volumes. This is why we created Flatellite. It’s more than just a new product developed to serve our customers’ ever-evolving needs. It’s a bold, strategic move toward completing the final step in Rocket Lab’s ultimate vision of being a truly end-to-end space company, operating its own constellation and delivering services from space. By having our own rides to space with Neutron and Electron and being able to build our own spacecraft in high volumes, we’re at a distinct advantage when it comes to deploying constellations with speed and cost-efficiency” he said.
Apart of this announcement was a render of the satellites stacked within Neutron’s fairings. This highlights the size of the satellites and the number that could theoretically be launched every time Neutron lifts off.
It’s clear that Rocket Lab has some big plans for the future. That being said, it mostly all revolves around the success and timeline of Neutron. This vehicle is a big step up from Electron and includes a lot of firsts. It will be interesting to see some of the initial booster landing attempts on the landing vessel. By now we’ve seen multiple different companies try this method. On SpaceX’s first attempts, there were quite a few failures. Even more recently with New Glenn and its maiden flight, they were able to reach orbit but not land the booster. Rocket Lab does have some experience with Electron reuse, but not only is the rocket much smaller, it also doesn’t use a propulsive landing but instead parachutes and a splashdown. Something to consider as the company gets closer to the first attempt.
What these announcements do highlight is how much the program and the plan for this rocket have changed since it was first announced. Looking back in time at a post from Rocket Lab in late 2021, they described their plans for Neutron reuse. Here they were quoted saying, “After reaching space and deploying Neutron’s second stage, the first stage will return to Earth for a propulsive landing at the launch site, eliminating the high costs associated with ocean-based landing platforms and operations.”
Other changes include the fairings, number of engines, general design, etc. While it may seem like a lot, changes like these are expected when building a next generation partially reusable rocket. As they continue to develop and actually build hardware, they make changes where necessary. Overall, progress seems to be coming along well.
Last month in January, they announced a mutual agreement with NASA has been reached to include Neutron launch services to the agency through Rocket Lab’s existing VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract.
They mentioned, “Rocket Lab’s new medium-lift reusable rocket Neutron allows the opportunity for Rocket Lab to continue broadening access to space to deliver multiple missions across a range of orbits, including CubeSats, Class D missions, and other payloads. Neutron is designed to provide both commercial and government customers with an alternative reliable launch service capable of deploying 13,000 kg to low Earth orbit. Neutron is tailored to deploy constellations and national security missions as well as science and exploration payloads. In addition to serving customers, Neutron is key to Rocket Lab’s strategy as an end-to-end space company capable of building, launching and operating its own constellations and delivering services from space in the future” they said.
The selection of Neutron for the VADR contract builds on previous awards for the new launch vehicle, including an on-ramp to the United States Space Force’s OSP-4 program, a separate $986m IDIQ contract. Neutron is also ideally placed to be on-ramped on to the U.S. Government’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Lane 1 program, an IDIQ contract valued at $5.6 billion over a five-year period. They also expressed that significant progress continues to be made on the rocket’s launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia, with the site’s completion expected in the coming months.
Conclusion
Rocket Lab just announced a new satellite, Neutron landing vessel, and even shared video of the hungry hippo fairings. Even with all the work still left, the company is aiming for a launch by the second half of this year.