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Rocket Lab raises Neutron launch price to $70 million
Rocket Lab said on Nov. 9 it raised the list price of a Neutron launch from $55 million to $70 million, citing constrained launch supply, Space.com reported.
Rocket Lab said on Monday, Nov. 9, that it raised the price of a launch on its Neutron rocket from $55 million to $70 million, an increase of more than 25 percent, according to Space.com1.
The company disclosed the change on its third-quarter earnings call, Space.com reported, for a vehicle that has not yet flown and is set to debut in 20271.
Founder and Chief Executive Peter Beck said launch capacity is tightly constrained and that Rocket Lab had planned to bring Neutron to market at full price rather than discount early flights1.
"Launch is extremely constrained, and that is exactly the situation we predicted," Beck said on the call, according to Space.com1.
Neutron is Rocket Lab's medium-lift rocket, with a reusable first stage, a height of 141 feet (43 meters) and a stated capacity of 14.3 tons (13 metric tons) to low Earth orbit1.
The company is better known for Electron, a small-satellite launcher that first flew in 2017, has completed 90 orbital missions, stands 59 feet (18 meters) tall and can carry 660 pounds (300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit, Space.com reported1.
Rocket Lab unveiled Neutron in 2021 and first aimed for a 2024 debut; last month it delayed the first flight from late 2026 into 2027 because of a manufacturing issue it said is now under control1.
Beck said the company booked eight Neutron launches in the third quarter of 2026, from July 1 through Sept. 30, on contracts worth about $515 million, including multiple missions at the $70 million base price1.
The first 16 Neutron launches are sold out, he said, and later bookings will be for flights in the 2030s1.
Space.com tied the demand to a possible bottleneck around 2028, when SpaceX has said it plans to retire Falcon 9, which currently lists at $74 million per launch and can carry about 25 tons (22.7 metric tons) to low Earth orbit1.
Falcon 9 flew 165 times in 2025, all successfully, Space.com reported, while SpaceX shifts work toward Starship for internal projects including Starlink V3 and a planned Starmind constellation1.
Beck said the same supply squeeze should also lift demand for Electron, including from small-satellite operators that have used Falcon 9 rideshare missions1.
