Rocket Lab pushes Neutron rocket's debut flight to 2027, shares fall

October 14, 2026 5:50 PM EDT

A Rocket Lab technician cleans a fuselage in Auckland, New Zealand, October 20, 2015. REUTERS/Nigel Marple/File Photo

Oct 14 (Reuters) - ‌Rocket Lab ​on ​Wednesday said the inaugural launch of its new, larger ‌Neutron rocket was delayed until ⁠next year, sending the space firm's ‌shares down about 6% ‌in extended trading.

Here are more details:

• Rocket Lab had previously targeted ​Neutron's inaugural flight for the fourth quarter of 2026

• In ⁠August, however, the company appeared to push ​back on the timeline for Neutron's first flight and said it ​aimed to get ‌the vehicle to the launch pad in the fourth ⁠quarter rather than launching it then

• Neutron is a reusable medium-lift ⁠rocket central to Rocket Lab's effort to ​compete for larger commercial satellite, civil-space and US national-security missions

• Last month, the company ‌signed a multi-year launch agreement for 20 new missions ‌for its Electron launch vehicle ⁠with Tokyo-based ‌Earth observation co ​Synspective

(Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti ‌Pujara)



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