{"id":46472,"date":"2026-07-22T01:46:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/making-progress-relativitys-terran-r-rocket-labs-neutron-and-pld-spaces-miura-5\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T01:46:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:46:58","slug":"making-progress-relativitys-terran-r-rocket-labs-neutron-and-pld-spaces-miura-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/making-progress-relativitys-terran-r-rocket-labs-neutron-and-pld-spaces-miura-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Progress: Relativity\u2019s Terran R, Rocket Lab\u2019s Neutron, and PLD Space\u2019s Miura 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[CDATA[<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1290\" height=\"717\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195-350x195.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195-630x350.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-20-195-1170x650.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\" \/--><\/p>\n<p>While the focus of late has been on Starship\u2019s test program, three companies developing new orbital rockets \u2014 Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and PLD Space \u2014 announced key testing milestones for vehicles targeted for debut flights later in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>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.<br \/>\n<span id=\"more-114267\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;width:100%;padding-top:56.25%;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe title=\"Why Starship Flight 13 Aborted + Japan Flies Its Starhopper! | This Week in Spaceflight\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X9dRCy1HuAQ?feature=oembed\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share; fullscreen\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"\" mozallowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>Relativity Space\u2019s Terran R:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Relativity Space\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>The design emphasizes high reusability for the booster to support frequent launches and cost reduction in the commercial and government markets.<\/p>\n<p>In its latest program update, Relativity focused heavily on testing activities.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Two stages. Multiple test campaigns. Major milestones across Long Beach and @NASAStennis <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f4cd.png\"> Long Beach, CA<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/2714.png\"> Stage 1 qualification testing officially began, with initial proof test cases successfully completed<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f4cd.png\"> NASA Stennis, MS<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/2714.png\"> Stage 2 arrived safely ahead of its\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/9v94PN8rA9<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Relativity Space (@relativityspace) July 15, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>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.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-34-30-072.jpg\"><br \/>\nFollowing initial system checkouts, engineers began a comprehensive campaign of pressurized tank testing.<\/p>\n<p>These tests subject the propellant tanks to operational pressures while simultaneously applying mechanical loads to simulate flight environments.<\/p>\n<p>Repeated pressure cycles are intended to validate long-term structural durability \u2014 a critical requirement for a booster designed for multiple reuses.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-34-42-152.jpg\">The second stage has arrived at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hotfire testing.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>These steps bring the stand nearer to activation for the planned Stage 2 hotfire campaign.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-39-08-530.jpg\">Engine acceptance testing is also progressing at Stennis. All 13 Aeon R engines slated for the first flight\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Launch site construction at the company\u2019s 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.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-44-32-381.jpg\">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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rocket Lab\u2019s Neutron<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rocket Lab\u2019s Neutron is a medium-lift, partially reusable launch vehicle designed to deliver payloads to low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The rocket uses the company\u2019s new Archimedes family of liquid methane\/liquid oxygen engines.<\/p>\n<p>Rocket Lab recently completed a full-duration burn test of the vacuum-optimized Archimedes engine intended for Neutron\u2019s second stage and released video of the firing.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-45-36-800.jpg\">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 engine\u2019s height.<\/p>\n<p>For this ground-level test, the full nozzle extension was not installed; instead, engineers used a shorter \u201cstub skirt\u201d configuration.<\/p>\n<p>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 nozzle\u2019s design expansion ratio and ambient atmospheric pressure. This phenomenon can generate damaging side loads.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Archimedes second stage engine full duration burn \u2013 complete <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/2705.png\"> (and what a thing of beauty). <\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Recent\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zFb6cKNy1g<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 14, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The stub skirt allowed the team to safely demonstrate full mission-duration performance of the engine\u2019s core components while avoiding those risks. The complete nozzle will be installed on the flight upper stage.<\/p>\n<p>The successful test represents an important milestone on the path to Neutron\u2019s first flight, now scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 following earlier schedule adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>However, the program has experienced some hardware setbacks earlier in the year, including the loss of components originally intended for flight use.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-47-27-131.jpg\"><br \/>\nRocket Lab continues to advance other elements of the vehicle in parallel with ongoing engine development.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PLD Space\u2019s Miura 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PLD Space\u2019s Miura 5 is a two-stage, small-lift orbital launch vehicle developed by the Spanish company as its first orbital rocket.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>PLD Space announced this week that it has completed tank testing for both stages of the Miura 5.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign verified the pressurization system\u2019s stability under nominal conditions, validated avionics and flight software interfaces, and confirmed the operation of the pressurization and venting systems on each stage.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-47-53-961.jpg\"><br \/>\nThese tests represent a major step in qualifying the propellant tanks and associated fluid systems ahead of integrated stage-level testing.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Miura 5 forms the foundation of a broader vehicle family.<\/p>\n<p>The planned Miura 5 Block 1.2 upgrade is expected to incorporate first-stage reusability.<\/p>\n<p>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.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NSF-2026-07-20-19-48-34-165.jpg\">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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead Image: Relativity Space).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/L2_Membership_ShopBanner_c3acb3ad-719d-484c-8c2d-3ca9d11244f0-1.webp\"><\/p>\n<p>The post Making Progress: Relativity\u2019s Terran R, Rocket Lab\u2019s Neutron, and PLD Space\u2019s Miura 5 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the focus of late has been on Starship\u2019s test program, three companies developing new orbital rockets \u2014 Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and PLD Space \u2014 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46472"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}