Rocket Lab May Not Launch New Rocket This Year, Hitting Shares -- WSJ

By Micah Maidenberg

Shares of Rocket Lab traded down more than 4% premarket after the company indicated its forthcoming Neutron vehicle may not be ready to launch this year.

The company said Monday it is planning to deliver the first Neutron rocket to a launch pad in the last quarter of 2026. In May, Rocket Lab said it was in position to debut the rocket this year.

"The window for an end-of-year launch is narrowing," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck told investors during the company's quarterly earnings call. "The work we're doing now is about risk trading, balancing the timing of our first launch against how quickly and seamlessly we can scale."

Neutron has faced delays before. Rocket Lab has been developing the vehicle, which will feature a reusable booster, to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 and other rockets of similar size and performance that are expected to come online in the years ahead.

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August 11, 2026 08:46 ET (12:46 GMT)