Rocket Lab Hosts Investor Day and Neutron Development Update

New York,. 21 September, 2022 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB), a leading launch and space systems company, today hosted an Investor Day and Neutron Development Update at the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum in New York City. 

Rocket Lab Founder and Chief Executive Officer Peter Beck, joined by members of the Company’s executive leadership team, provided a series of presentations including an update on the progress of the Neutron launch vehicle development. The event also outlined the path to the Company’s target margin model for Electron and space systems, while also providing a product roadmap for future space systems capabilities. 

A replay of the event webcast will be available at: www.rocketlabusa.com/investorday

Key highlights from the event include:

 Neutron Development Update:

• NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi was announced as the engine test facility for Rocket Lab’s reusable Archimedes rocket engine which will power the Neutron launch vehicle. Full details about the Archimedes Test Complex announcement can be found here: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220921005428/en/Rocket-Lab-Selects-NASA-Stennis-Space-Center-for-Neutron-Engine-Test-Facility

• Neutron hardware was revealed for the first time, including a full-scale section of carbon fiber tank structure and a full-scale Archimedes engine model.

• For the first time details and images of Neutron’s potential crew capsule design were revealed, providing an exclusive look at how Neutron could enable human spaceflight in the future.  

• Updates on the development of the Neutron production complex and launch site located in Virginia.

Electron Program:

• Highlighted Electron’s position as the leading dedicated small satellite launcher with 30 missions now complete, including nine successful launches since the Company’s de-SPAC in August 2021.

• Revealed that an Electron rocket is en-route to Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the Company’s inaugural launch from U.S. soil, a dedicated mission for radio frequency geospatial analytics constellation operator HawkEye 360. The mission is scheduled to launch in December and is the first in a three-launch deal that will see Rocket Lab deliver 15 satellites to orbit across three Electron missions for HawkEye 360 between late 2022 and 2024.

• Announced a new contract with a confidential commercial customer for a dedicated mission on Electron from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia in Q1 2023. The mission is scheduled to launch only weeks after the site’s inaugural launch, bringing small launch rapid response capability to the Eastern Shore.

• Shared details of Rocket Lab’s progress to make Electron the world’s first reusable orbital small rocket and confirmed the Company’s next recovery mission will include an attempt to return the rocket to land after it is captured with a helicopter.

Space Systems:

• Revealed the product roadmap for future space systems capabilities that will enable Rocket Lab to tap into total addressable market opportunity through the Company’s vertical integration and mass production scalability.

• Shared progress on the development of space systems infrastructure, including a new 10,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art satellite cleanroom and processing facility to scale production capacity for future growth.

• Detailed a selection of the 220+ missions in development that are supported by Rocket Lab space systems, including interplanetary missions to Mars and Venus, a multi-spacecraft contract for Varda, and other missions for commercial, civil, and defense satellite customers.