Rocket Lab warns of Neutron's maiden flight delay risk, potentially postponed until 2027

August 11th. According to Bloomberg, Rocket Lab has stated that its Neutron rocket project still faces new delays, and the inaugural launch may be pushed back to 2027. The company planned to transport Neutron to the launch pad as scheduled in the fourth quarter but did not confirm if the rocket could achieve its maiden flight this year. Rocket Lab's previous target was to conduct the first Neutron launch by the end of 2026.

Rocket Lab mentioned that the complex development timeline of Neutron still carries "risks and uncertainties," and the specific launch timing will depend on booster testing results and other factors. Neutron is a larger and higher-performance rocket developed by the company based on the Electron platform, with one of the goals being to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9.

On the financial front, Rocket Lab posted a record quarterly revenue of $2.34 billion, exceeding the market's expectation of $2.32 billion; adjusted loss per share was $0.08, slightly worse than the analysts' projected loss of $0.07 per share. The company anticipates third-quarter revenue to be between $2.5 billion and $2.65 billion, surpassing the market's consensus of $2.37 billion. Following the announcement, Rocket Lab's stock fell approximately 2% in after-hours trading.

Furthermore, Rocket Lab announced that Kepler Communications has booked a dedicated Neutron launch mission, scheduled no earlier than 2028.