Rocket Lab is aiming to chip away at SpaceX\u2019s dominance in military space launch, confirming its bid to compete for Pentagon contracts with its new medium-lift rocket Neutron.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to bid this time round for NSSL Lane 1, and we think Neutron is a really good vehicle for it,\u201d Rocket Lab\u2019s founder and CEO Peter Beck told\u00a0SpaceNews<\/em>.<\/p>\n The U.S. Space Force\u00a0last week released a request for proposals from launch companies seeking to challenge SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin in the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program.<\/p>\n The NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program is structured as an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, enabling the Space Force to on-ramp providers on a yearly basis, and award individual task orders as needed.<\/p>\n The Space Force requires the next round of Lane 1 bidders to be ready for a first launch by December 2025, a timeline Beck says\u00a0Neutron can meet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think we can get there, but ultimately the government will decide that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Despite ongoing questions about Neutron\u2019s readiness and the state of its\u00a0launch infrastructure<\/a>, Rocket Lab would enter the NSSL competition at a time when the military is eager for fresh launch providers to address growing national security demands.<\/p>\n Lane 1 is designed for missions that can accept higher risks and is intended to facilitate faster launches of less sensitive payloads. This contrasts with\u00a0Lane 2, which will focus on more critical missions requiring heavy-lift fully certified launch vehicles.\u00a0The Lane 1 program is valued\u00a0at $5.6 billion over five years and has already awarded its first\u00a0task orders to SpaceX.<\/p>\n Rocket Lab\u2019s potential entry into the NSSL competition comes amid a capacity crunch in the launch industry. Currently, SpaceX has achieved near-dominance in the field, with United Launch Alliance (ULA) contributing fewer launches as it retires its workhorse Atlas 5 rocket and works through delays in the certification of its Vulcan Centaur. Blue Origin has also faced development hurdles with its New Glenn rocket.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not controversial to say that there\u2019s a monopoly in medium launch right now,\u201d said Beck. \u201cThe U.S. government and commercial customers want some diversity of supply.\u201d<\/p>\n Beck said Rocket Lab\u2019s track record with its small-satellite launch vehicle, Electron, lends credibility to its bid. Since its debut in 2017, Electron has flown to orbit 53 times from launch sites in New Zealand and in Virginia, with 49 successes and four failures.<\/p>\n Beck said he remains confident but pragmatic about Neutron\u2019s timeline. \u201cOverall, things are kind of tracking,\u201d he added. \u201cBut it\u2019s a rocket program.\u201d<\/p>\n Unveiled just three years ago, the Neutron rocket is intended to deliver medium-lift payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO), with a capacity to carry approximately 13,000 kilograms. The first stage, powered by nine Archimedes engines, is designed for frequent reuse.<\/p>\n In August, Rocket Lab reached a significant milestone when it conducted the\u00a0first static fire test<\/a>\u00a0of the Archimedes engine, fueled by methane and liquid oxygen. The test took place at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.<\/p>\n Beck noted that Rocket Lab has been producing engines for Neutron\u2019s qualification campaign that is underway at the company\u2019s testing site at Stennis. \u201cWe\u2019re running engines just constantly,\u201d he said. Engine production is taking place at a former Virgin Orbit facility in Long Beach, California, which\u00a0Rocket Lab acquired\u00a0following that company\u2019s bankruptcy.<\/p>\nCompetitive landscape<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fast track to development<\/h2>\n