Rocket Lab has a new rocket engine factory. The Long Beach, California-based launch and space systems company held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday to officially open its new 144,000-square-foot Engine Development Center in what was Virgin Orbit’s former headquarters.
The facility will support high-rate production of the 3D-printed Rutherford engine, as well as the development and production of Rocket Lab’s new Archimedes engine that will power its new Neutron rocket.
The Neutron medium-lift rocket is designed for mega-constellation deployment, deep space missions, and human spaceflight, and according to Rocket Lab, will be reusable.
Following manufacturing, the Archimedes engines will be transported to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi, where they will undergo testing.
“From there, the Archimedes engines will be integrated onto the Neutron launch vehicle in preparation for liftoff from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 3 at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia,” the company said.
This week, Rocket Lab said it completed cryogenic and maximum expected operating pressure (MEOP) testing on a Neutron Stage 2 tank. “Armed with a wealth of data from this campaign, the next Neutron stage 2 tank is progressing at pace,” the company said in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As part of structural testing we push our tanks to Maximum Expected Operating Pressure (MEOP)…and far beyond. It's always fun to round out an intensive test campaign with a bang!
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) October 4, 2023
Armed with a wealth of data from this campaign, the next Neutron stage 2 tank is progressing at… https://t.co/Zk0ePk8TIU pic.twitter.com/2BqJjBOASQ
Rocket Lab acquired the lease on its new Long Beach facility, as well as the factory’s production assets, in May for $16.1 million.
“This Engine Development Center builds on the legacy of the Rutherford engine and signals a new era at Rocket Lab with the development of Archimedes, our new large [liquid oxygen]/methane engine, which will power the reusable Neutron rocket,” Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, said in a statement. “By co-locating our engine development center near our Long Beach headquarters and production complex, we’ve maximized collaboration between our engineering and manufacturing to ensure streamlined efficiency as we continue ramping up Electron launch cadence and get closer to Neutron’s debut launch.”
