tech
February 12, 2026
Yes, Rocket Lab is blowing up engines. No, it's not a big deal, CEO says.
“We are in the part of the program where we are doing very nasty things to the engine.”
TL;DR
- A Rocket Lab employee reported a grass fire during an Archimedes engine test at the Stennis Space Center.
- Sources indicate the incident was a catastrophic engine explosion, not just an electrical fire, causing significant damage.
- This is at least the second reported failure of an Archimedes engine test in three months.
- CEO Pete Beck described the failures as normal and intentional, part of testing the engine to its limits for the Neutron rocket.
- Beck stated they are intentionally stressing the engine to find failure modes and edge cases.
- Rocket Lab has two test cells to continue testing without interrupting the schedule.
- The company aims to identify failures during component testing to increase the chance of a successful first launch for Neutron.
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