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WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab’s next-generation Neutron rocket has been selected for an experimental U.S. Air Force mission to test rapid global cargo delivery capabilities, a milestone for the company as it pushes further into the national security launch market.
The mission, slated for no earlier than 2026, will fall under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) “rocket cargo” program, which explores how commercial launch vehicles might one day deliver materiel to any point on Earth within hours—a vision akin to airlift logistics via spaceflight.
Rocket Lab announced the award May 8. The contract’s value was not disclosed.
The company’s founder and CEO Peter Beck, speaking during a first-quarter earnings call, described the Air Force initiative as still in its infancy. “That program is really at the very beginning of its development within the U.S. government,” Beck said. “So I think we’re very much in the experimental phase. And it’ll be interesting to see if that turns into a full requirement for an operational capability.”
Beck added that it’s “good to be on that program, working on it early.”
The cargo test would be a “survivability experiment.” Neutron is expected to carry a payload that will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, demonstrating the rocket’s ability to safely transport and deploy cargo. Beck noted that the launch will be a “multi-manifest” mission, carrying multiple payloads.
Neutron, designed to lift up to 13,000 kg to low Earth orbit, remains on schedule for its inaugural launch in 2025, Beck said. The company reports that both launch pad construction at Wallops Island, Virginia, and rocket development continue to progress as planned.
NSSL the ‘big news item’ this quarter
The cargo experiment contract follows what Beck described as the “big news item in this quarter” — Rocket Lab’s selection to compete for national security launch contracts.
The Space Systems Command announced on March 27 that Rocket Lab and Stoke Space will be eligible to compete against established players Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) in the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program. This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract structure allows the selected companies to bid on launch service orders through 2029, with at least 30 missions expected to be awarded – totaling an estimated $5.6 billion in task orders.
Beck called the Lane 1 selection a “huge vote of confidence by the Pentagon.”
“We’re also the only publicly traded company to ever on-board NSSL,” he noted. “Once we’re clear of Neutron’s first launch, we’ll be bidding for task orders.”
Following its inclusion in NSSL, Rocket Lab was awarded a $5 million task order for initial mission assurance reviews. Beck said the company has since conducted a kickoff meeting with key government stakeholders, including the U.S. Space Force’s assured access to space office and the National Reconnaissance Office’s Office of Space Launch.
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