Rocket Lab Converts Old Virgin Orbit Facility into Engine Development Center
September 14, 2023
Rocket Lab acquired Virgin Orbit's massive headquarters and manufacturing complex for a fraction of the cost of building new. Transforming the 144,000 square foot facility into an engine production and testing site for under $20 million represents significant savings.
The Long Beach, California asset was purchased by Rocket Lab for $16.1 million during Virgin Orbit's bankruptcy auction in May. CEO Peter Beck estimates it would have cost around $100 million to construct an equivalent facility from scratch.
The complex is now Rocket Lab's new engine development center, located less than a mile from company headquarters. It will produce Rutherford engines for the Electron rocket and manufacture the new Archimedes engines powering the upcoming Neutron vehicle.
Neutron is Rocket Lab's medium-lift rocket under development, designed to carry up to 13 tons to orbit. The reusable two-stage rocket will be powered by 9 Archimedes engines on the first stage and a single vacuum Archimedes on the second stage.
According to Beck, the acquired Virgin Orbit site will enable crucial engine production scale-up as Neutron nears operational status. It joins Rocket Lab's expanding Neutron complex at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility for manufacturing and launch operations.
By creatively repurposing the existing Virgin Orbit assets, Rocket Lab has established a cost-effective engine production capability supporting its next-generation rocket development.
Rocket Lab acquired Virgin Orbit's massive headquarters and manufacturing complex for a fraction of the cost of building new. Transforming the 144,000 square foot facility into an engine production and testing site for under $20 million represents significant savings.
The Long Beach, California asset was purchased by Rocket Lab for $16.1 million during Virgin Orbit's bankruptcy auction in May. CEO Peter Beck estimates it would have cost around $100 million to construct an equivalent facility from scratch.
The complex is now Rocket Lab's new engine development center, located less than a mile from company headquarters. It will produce Rutherford engines for the Electron rocket and manufacture the new Archimedes engines powering the upcoming Neutron vehicle.
Neutron is Rocket Lab's medium-lift rocket under development, designed to carry up to 13 tons to orbit. The reusable two-stage rocket will be powered by 9 Archimedes engines on the first stage and a single vacuum Archimedes on the second stage.
According to Beck, the acquired Virgin Orbit site will enable crucial engine production scale-up as Neutron nears operational status. It joins Rocket Lab's expanding Neutron complex at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility for manufacturing and launch operations.
By creatively repurposing the existing Virgin Orbit assets, Rocket Lab has established a cost-effective engine production capability supporting its next-generation rocket development.
Rocket Lab acquired Virgin Orbit's massive headquarters and manufacturing complex for a fraction of the cost of building new. Transforming the 144,000 square foot facility into an engine production and testing site for under $20 million represents significant savings.
The Long Beach, California asset was purchased by Rocket Lab for $16.1 million during Virgin Orbit's bankruptcy auction in May. CEO Peter Beck estimates it would have cost around $100 million to construct an equivalent facility from scratch.
The complex is now Rocket Lab's new engine development center, located less than a mile from company headquarters. It will produce Rutherford engines for the Electron rocket and manufacture the new Archimedes engines powering the upcoming Neutron vehicle.
Neutron is Rocket Lab's medium-lift rocket under development, designed to carry up to 13 tons to orbit. The reusable two-stage rocket will be powered by 9 Archimedes engines on the first stage and a single vacuum Archimedes on the second stage.
According to Beck, the acquired Virgin Orbit site will enable crucial engine production scale-up as Neutron nears operational status. It joins Rocket Lab's expanding Neutron complex at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility for manufacturing and launch operations.
By creatively repurposing the existing Virgin Orbit assets, Rocket Lab has established a cost-effective engine production capability supporting its next-generation rocket development.
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