Rocket Lab Neutron

Neutron
Size
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Rocket Lab
Height	40 m (130 ft)^[1] (planned)
Diameter	7 m 5 m
Mass	480,000 kg 1,060,000 lb
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to Low Earth orbit (LEO)
Mass	8,000 kg (17,600 lb) (planned)
Payload to Moon
Mass	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)^[1] (planned)
Payload to Mars & Venus
Mass	1,500 kg (3,300 lb) (planned)

Launch history
Status	Development
Launch sites	MARS (planned)

First stage
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX (planned)

[edit on Wikidata]

Neutron is a medium-lift two-stage launch vehicle under development by Rocket Lab. Announced on 1 March 2021, the vehicle is being designed to be capable of delivering an 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) payload to low Earth orbit, and will focus on the growing mega-constellation satellite delivery market.^[2]

Design

The rocket is expected to be 40 m (130 ft) tall with a 4.5 m (15 ft)-diameter fairing. Rocket Lab have said they are going to aim to make the first stage of the vehicle reusable with landings planned on a floating landing platform downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.^[2]^[3]

Use

Neutron is designed to launch up to 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) of payload to a 400 km (250 mi) low Earth orbit. Rocket Lab also intends the design to be able to eventually support human spaceflight. ^[3]

Launch site

Neutron launches are intended to take place from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on the eastern coast of Virginia, United States, by modifying their existing launch pad infrastructure at Launch Complex 2.^[2] The company is evaluating locations across the United States to build a factory to manufacture the new rocket. As of March 2021^[update], the company is planning for the first launch no earlier than 2024.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Neurton". RocketLab (Press release). 1 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Foust, Jeff (1 March 2021). "Rocket Lab to go public through SPAC merger and develop medium-lift rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket for Mega-Constellation Deployment". Business Wire. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H-IIA H3 Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 11H LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased RS1^† Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega original C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2
In development	Antares 330 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Epsilon S Eris Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 12 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 NGLV OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^†
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

Reusable launch systems and spacecraft

Launch systems

Active	Falcon 9 (first stage) Falcon Heavy (core stages) New Shepard*
Retired	Space Shuttle (orbiter and boosters)
In development	Amur (first stage) Ariane Next CALLISTO CORONA Electron (first stage) Hyperbola-3 (first stage) Long March 6X (first stage) 8R (first stage) Miura 5 (first stage) New Glenn (first stage) Orbex Prime (first stage) Pallas-1 (first stage) RLV-TD Rocket Lab Neutron (first stage) Skylon Starship (SpaceX) Terran R (first stage) Vulcan (engines)
Proposals	Kankoh-maru SASSTO Saturn-Shuttle
Canceled	Adeline Angara Ares I (first stage) Ares V (boosters) Chang Cheng-1 Energia II (Uragan) Falcon 1e Falcon 5 Nexus Hyperbola-2 HOPE-X Hopper / Phoenix HOTOL K-1 Liquid Fly-back Booster MAKS Reusable Booster System Roton Sea Dragon Tianjiao-1 Spiral V-2 VentureStar

Spacecraft

Active	Boeing X-37 Chinese reusable experimental spacecraft (CSSHQ) Dragon 2 Shenlong SpaceShipTwo*
Retired	Buran-class orbiter Dragon (capsule) Gemini SC-2* SpaceShipOne* Space Shuttle orbiter X-15*
In development	Boeing Starliner (capsule) Dream Chaser Mengzhou (capsule) Orel (spacecraft) (capsule) Orion (capsule) Starship upper stage SpaceShipThree*
Proposals	Avatar Goodyear Meteor Junior Ya Guidao Gainian Feixingqi* SUSIE
Cancelled	H-2 Kliper Lynx* Mustard Silver Dart SOAR X-30 NASP* X-33*

* indicates suborbital vehicles

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Design

Use

Launch site

See also

References