Rocket Lab Success and Setback
Completes 80th Electron Launch, But Suffers Neutron Fuel Tank Collapse
The first Rocket Lab launch of 2026 successfully lifted two spacecraft into orbit for European space technology company, Open Cosmos.
“There was no significant damage to the test structure or facilities.”
Rocket Lab corporate statement
The mission ‘The Cosmos Will See You Now’ lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:52 p.m. local time on January 22. The two spacecraft were deployed into an ≈652 mile low Earth orbit. It was the company’s 80th electron launch overall.
The story was a bit different at Launch Complex 3 in Wallops Island, Virginia however. Rocket Lab released a statement saying that qualification testing of the Stage 1 tank for its larger Neutron rocket Wednesday night resulted in a rupture during a hydrostatic pressure trial. The company stressed that testing failures are not uncommon during qualification testing, and that structures are intentionally stressed to their limits to validate structural integrity and safety margins and ensure the robust requirements for a successful launch can be comfortably met.
“There was no significant damage to the test structure or facilities, the next Stage 1 tank is already in production, and Neutron’s development campaign continues while the team assesses today’s test outcome,” the company said in the statement. “The team is reviewing the Stage 1 test data, which will determine the extent of the impact to Neutron’s launch schedule.”
The Company intends to provide an update on the Neutron schedule during its 2025 Q4 earnings call in February.
The tank rupture during hydroststic testing actually isn't that unexpected for qualification tests where they deliberately push to failure. What matters is wether the next tank incorporates the lessons learned and they've already got it in production. The 80th Electron launch getting barely any coverage shows how routine small sat deployment has become compared to when they started.