Rocket Lab has pushed the first launch of its medium-lift Neutron rocket to 2026, founder and CEO Peter Beck said during the company’s 2025 Q3 earnings call Monday (Nov. 10).

The vehicle is now expected to arrive at Launch Complex 3 at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, on Wallops Island, in the first quarter of next year, with its debut flight to follow after qualification testing is complete.

Rocket Lab is in the phase during which "you find out on the ground what you got right and what you got wrong,” Beck said. He explained that, though all major hardware has been built and is in final testing, additional time is needed to "retire the risks and stick to the Rocket Lab process."

The move marks a small delay from the company's goal to launch Neutron in late 2025 but highlight

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