Neutron rocket’s debut slips into mid-2026 as company seeks success from the start

During an earnings call on Monday, Rocket Lab chief executive Pete Beck announced that the company’s medium-lift launch vehicle, Neutron, would not launch this year.

For anyone with the slightest understanding of the challenges involved in bringing a new rocket to the launch pad, as well as a calendar, the delay does not come as a surprise. Although Rocket Lab had been holding on to the possibility of launching Neutron this year publicly, it has…