The new advanced manufacturing and development
center enables high-rate production of the Rutherford and
Archimedes rocket engines
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems,
today officially opened the Company’s new Engine Development Center
in Long Beach, California.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231004377821/en/
Rocket Lab Engine Development Center
official opening in Long Beach. L to R: Long Beach Councilwoman
Megan Kerr, Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice, Long Beach Mayor Rex
Richardson, California State Senator Lena Gonzalez. (Photo:
Business Wire)
The 144,000+ square foot advanced manufacturing complex will
support the high-rate production of Rocket Lab’s 3D printed
Rutherford engine, as well development and production for the new
Archimedes engine that will power the Company’s new medium-lift
rocket, Neutron. The facility was formerly Virgin Orbit’s
headquarters and factory for the Launcher One vehicle. Rocket Lab
took over the lease for the facility and acquired the factory’s
production assets, machinery, and equipment in May 2023 for $16.1
million, generating significant savings for the Neutron’s
production program.
“We are proud and excited to continue growing our Long Beach
team and footprint by increasing production of our advanced rocket
engines right here in space beach,” said Rocket Lab Founder and CEO
Peter Beck. “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 LOx/methane engine which
will power the reusable Neutron rocket. 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.”
The Engine Development Center was officially opened by Long
Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. “I am proud to welcome and celebrate
Rocket Lab’s new state-of-the-art Engine Development Center here to
Long Beach,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “By choosing Long Beach for
this new expansion, it further cements our role as a nationally
significant hub of space technology and manufacturing.”
After being manufactured at the Engine Development Center, the
completed Archimedes engines will undergo testing at NASA’s
historic Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where Rocket Lab is
establishing a dedicated test facility at the A-3 Test Stand. From
there, the Archimedes engines will be integrated onto the Neutron
launch vehicle in preparation for lift-off from Rocket Lab’s Launch
Complex 3 at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Rutherford engines complete testing in New Zealand before
integration onto Electron and launch from Rocket Lab’s two Electron
launch sites; Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2
in Virginia.
+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with
an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable
launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and
on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more
affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach,
California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small
orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform, and the
Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for
constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January
2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second
most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 171
satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations,
enabling operations in national security, scientific research,
space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and
communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been
selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as
the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three
launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a
private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third
launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit
www.rocketlabusa.com.
+ Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by
the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained
in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in
this press release other than statements of historical fact,
including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and
space systems operation, launch schedule and window, safe and
repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational
expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. All
statements contained in this press release other than statements of
historical fact, including, without limitation, statements
regarding our launch and space systems operation, launch schedule
and window, safe and repeatable access to space, Neutron
development, operational expansion, business strategy, and
expectations relating to our financial condition, results of
operations, plans, objectives and future performance are
forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,”
“estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,”
“expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,”
“plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking
statements use these words or expressions. These statements are
neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including
but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2022, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our
other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the
Investor Relations section of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com,
which could cause our actual results to differ materially from
those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this
press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent
management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While
we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some
point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if
subsequent events cause our views to change.
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+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Morgan Bailey
media@rocketlabusa.com
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