Making Progress: Relativitys Terran R, Rocket Labs Neutron, and PLD Spaces Miura 5

Date:
Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:18:54 +0000

Description:
While the focus of late has been on Starships test program, three companies developing new The post Making Progress: Relativitys Terran R, Rocket Labs Neutron, and PLD Spaces Miura 5 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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While the focus of late has been on Starships test program, three companies developing new orbital rockets Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and PLD Space announced key testing milestones for vehicles targeted for debut flights
later in 2026.

These updates highlight ongoing qualification efforts across structural, propulsion, and ground infrastructure domains as the programs move closer to integrated vehicle testing and eventual launch.



Relativity Spaces Terran R:

Relativity Spaces Terran R is a medium-to-heavy lift launch vehicle featuring a reusable first stage powered by 13 Aeon R engines and a second stage
powered by a single Aeon V vacuum engine. Both stages use liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellants in a gas-generator cycle.

The design emphasizes high reusability for the booster to support frequent launches and cost reduction in the commercial and government markets.

In its latest program update, Relativity focused heavily on testing activities. Two stages. Multiple test campaigns. Major milestones across Long Beach and @NASAStennis

Long Beach, CA Stage 1 qualification testing officially began, with initial proof test cases successfully completed

NASA Stennis, MS Stage 2 arrived safely ahead of its pic.twitter.com/9v94PN8rA9

Relativity Space (@relativityspace) July 15, 2026



The company completed a qualification article for the reusable first stage
and transported it from the manufacturing building to a dedicated test stand located in the factory parking lot. Following initial system checkouts, engineers began a comprehensive campaign of pressurized tank testing.

These tests subject the propellant tanks to operational pressures while simultaneously applying mechanical loads to simulate flight environments.

Repeated pressure cycles are intended to validate long-term structural durability a critical requirement for a booster designed for multiple
reuses. The second stage has arrived at NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hotfire testing.

Relativity is advancing test stand preparations at the historic NASA test site, including installation of a large flame diverter to channel and protect against high-energy exhaust during static fires, as well as an access
platform for personnel and equipment.

These steps bring the stand nearer to activation for the planned Stage 2 hotfire campaign. Engine acceptance testing is also progressing at Stennis. All 13 Aeon R engines slated for the first flights first stage have completed acceptance testing. Work has now started on acceptance testing for the flight 1 Aeon V engine that will power the upper stage.

Launch site construction at the companys Cape Canaveral facility at LC-16 continues in parallel. Recent activities include the addition of propellant tanks, installation of cranes inside the horizontal integration facility, and the continued assembly of the lightning protection towers. The first flight
of Terran R remains targeted for later this year. While the testing and construction updates demonstrate continued momentum, substantial integration, additional ground testing, and regulatory work remain before a launch
attempt.

Rocket Labs Neutron

Rocket Labs Neutron is a medium-lift, partially reusable launch vehicle designed to deliver payloads to low Earth orbit.

It features a distinctive architecture in which the payload fairing is integrated with the reusable first stage, allowing the fairing halves to remain attached during ascent and recovery operations.

The rocket uses the companys new Archimedes family of liquid methane/liquid oxygen engines.

Rocket Lab recently completed a full-duration burn test of the vacuum-optimized Archimedes engine intended for Neutrons second stage and released video of the firing. The vacuum variant produces approximately 1.2 times the thrust of the sea-level first-stage version and incorporates a significantly longer nozzle, adding roughly 2.5 meters to the engines height.

For this ground-level test, the full nozzle extension was not installed; instead, engineers used a shorter stub skirt configuration.

Testing a vacuum-optimized nozzle at sea level carries risks of flow separation, in which exhaust gases detach from the nozzle walls due to the mismatch between the nozzles design expansion ratio and ambient atmospheric pressure. This phenomenon can generate damaging side loads. Archimedes second stage engine full duration burn complete (and what a thing of beauty).

The AVac (Archimedes Vacuum) engine produces 1.2x lbf of its Stage 1 variant and stands ~2.5m taller thanks to its extended nozzle optimized for the
vacuum conditions of space.

Recent pic.twitter.com/zFb6cKNy1g

Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 14, 2026



The stub skirt allowed the team to safely demonstrate full mission-duration performance of the engines core components while avoiding those risks. The complete nozzle will be installed on the flight upper stage.

The successful test represents an important milestone on the path to Neutrons first flight, now scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 following earlier schedule adjustments.

However, the program has experienced some hardware setbacks earlier in the year, including the loss of components originally intended for flight use. Rocket Lab continues to advance other elements of the vehicle in parallel
with ongoing engine development.

PLD Spaces Miura 5:

PLD Spaces Miura 5 is a two-stage, small-lift orbital launch vehicle
developed by the Spanish company as its first orbital rocket.

It uses kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen propellants and is sized to serve the growing small satellite market. The baseline vehicle is expendable, with future variants planned to introduce reusability.

PLD Space announced this week that it has completed tank testing for both stages of the Miura 5.

The campaign verified the pressurization systems stability under nominal conditions, validated avionics and flight software interfaces, and confirmed the operation of the pressurization and venting systems on each stage. These tests represent a major step in qualifying the propellant tanks and
associated fluid systems ahead of integrated stage-level testing.

The company is now transitioning to full stage testing. Hardware production for the first flight vehicle is underway, following the manufacture of qualification articles in late 2025.

Miura 5 forms the foundation of a broader vehicle family.

The planned Miura 5 Block 1.2 upgrade is expected to incorporate first-stage reusability.

Longer-term, the Miura Next family envisions multi-core configurations
capable of significantly higher performance, including super heavy-lift capability in expendable mode. Although the potential of four side boosters landing, as envisioned in a PLD video, remains enticing. Achieving these advanced capabilities will require flight heritage first gained with the initial Miura 5 missions, with the debut flight still targeted for later this year.

These parallel testing campaigns across three independent programs illustrate the activity in the global launch vehicle sector as new entrants work to qualify hardware and infrastructure for orbital flights in the coming months.

(Lead Image: Relativity Space).



The post Making Progress: Relativitys Terran R, Rocket Labs Neutron, and PLD Spaces Miura 5 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/07/making-progress-terran-r-neutron-miura /


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