California startup Rocket Lab aims to compete with industry leader SpaceX with its upcoming Neutron launch vehicle. But before it debuts its reusable rocket later this year, the company must find a way to transport Neutron components to the southern tip of Wallops Island in Virginia.
According to TechCrunch, Rocket Lab is awaiting permission to build a permanent channel to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, a spaceport surrounded by shallow water and scant infrastructure. The company is trying to meet the deadline for the first Neutron launch in September, but the rocket still needs to undergo final preparations at the launch pad before it can launch, and it must first get to the island. Stuck in the mud, the rocket lab is contemplating an ancient sailing technique known as keening.
The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority operates the MARS Commercial Spaceport in partnership with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. This site is an ideal alternative to Cape Canaveral in Florida, which is experiencing increasing congestion due to the ever-growing number of rocket launches. In 2019, Rocket Lab began construction of a second launch pad, called Launch Complex 2, for its Electron rocket, which has so far launched four missions from the Virginia launch site. In 2023, Rocket Lab began construction of a new launch pad for the Neutron rocket, called Launch Complex 3.
Rocket Lab has already spent millions of dollars on Launch Complex 3 and plans to spend about $5 million more to dredge Sloop Gut, a channel in Accomack County, Virginia, that serves as a navigation route on Wallops Island. The company wants to remove sediment from the canal and dredge it to a depth of about 5,300 feet (1,615 meters), deepening it to 7 feet (2 meters) underwater to accommodate large barges that carry missile components to the island. Its request was approved by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission in May, but the company is still waiting for the green light from the Army Corps of Engineers, TechCrunch reports.
In the meantime, Rocket Lab is asking federal regulators for permission to use the caging method, which involves using a series of anchors to drag a ship through shallow water. The company hopes that this method will help transport Neutron rocket parts in time for this year’s launch. If the request is not approved in time, Rocket Lab proposes to use ramps and cranes to transport the Neutron’s equipment across the water, or use a boat ramp.
The clock is ticking for Rocket Lab to launch its Neutron rocket on time, a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying 13 metric tons into low Earth orbit. The Neutron is Rocket Lab’s answer to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 (which can launch up to 22 metric tons into low Earth orbit), hoping to provide the industry with an alternative to sending satellites into space.
