Stage and tank tests
Testing the carbon composite tanks and stages before the first flight.
Under way Since 2025
Goal
- Pressure-test the carbon composite tanks.
- Test-fire the second stage.
- Test-fire the full first stage before the first flight.
So far
A tank failed a pressure test in January 2026, which pushed the first flight back.
On October 14, 2026, Rocket Lab said it found flaws in a carbon composite propellant dome on the first stage and is replacing it, moving the first launch into 2027.
The second stage is in its test firings; the first stage hasn’t been fired yet.
Future dates come from the launch calendar and are checked every week; they often slip. All Neutron missions