Located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Launch Complex 3 will serve as the dedicated test, launch and landing facility for Neutron, Rocket Lab’s reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. Once operational, Neutron will be capable of sending up to 13,000 kilograms into orbit, supporting everything from commercial satellite constellations to national security missions, interplanetary exploration and eventually human spaceflight.
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said the opening represented a critical step in strengthening America’s access to space.
“Launch Complex 3 is our commitment to providing assured access to space and the diversity of launch sites the United States needs for its most important missions,” Beck said.
“With Neutron, Virginia’s aerospace capabilities are expanding to enable responsive and reliable launches to low-Earth orbit, the International Space Station and beyond to the moon and Mars.”
The facility is the largest orbital launch site ever built at the Virginia spaceport and was completed in less than two years. More than 60 contractors contributed to the project, with many of the suppliers and workers drawn from local Virginia businesses.
Key features of the site include a nine-metre-tall launch mount containing more than 700 tonnes of steel, large propellant storage farms for liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas, and a 200,000-gallon water tower standing more than 60 metres high.
Rocket Lab vice president for Neutron, Shaun D’Mello, praised the effort behind the rapid construction.
“Launch Complex 3 is an incredibly complex engineering achievement that highlights Rocket Lab’s speed and efficiency. To go from breaking ground to opening in under two years is a testament to the dedication of our Virginia-based team,” he said.
The opening of Launch Complex 3 drew praise from political and industry leaders, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who called the facility “a bold step forward for Virginia’s growing role in the commercial space industry”.
The new site sits alongside Launch Complex 2, Rocket Lab’s pad for the Electron rocket, currently the world’s most frequently flown small orbital launch vehicle. With the addition of Neutron operations, Wallops Island is expected to play an even greater role in the United States’ space strategy, particularly as demand for medium-lift launches continues to grow.
Rocket Lab, which is dual-headquartered in California and New Zealand, operates multiple launch sites worldwide. The Neutron rocket is expected to begin its first test flights from Launch Complex 3 in the coming years.