Rocket Lab is asking regulators to allow it to transport large neutron rocket structures through shallow waters to spaceports off the Virginia coast to compete to meet the September delivery deadline. The request made in July is a temporary suspension, but the company is waiting for federal clearance to drove a permanent channel to the Wallops Island site.
Rocket Lab is planning to launch a Neutron Medium-Lift rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Plant (MARS) in Wallops Island, Virginia. The company is currently launching small electronic rockets from this location.
Rocket Lab has a large checklist to mark a massive checklist before neutrons make their orbital debut, including rocket stage mating, running “wet dress” rehearsals, and obtaining launch licenses from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Before any of it happens, the rocket hardware must go to the island.
Rocket Lab submitted an application for the dr project to the Virginia Marine Corps Resources Committee in March. In its application, the company touts the benefits of Mars and notes that other launch facilities in Florida and elsewhere are extremely crowded, potentially limiting launch cadences. In contrast, Mars “enables both the frequently fired cadence and the realistic ability of booster recovery,” Rocket Lab said at the time.
Despite its advantages, Mars is constrained in an important way. Existing maritime infrastructure is limited, and access to channels called thruguts depends on the preferred tide.
“There is no permanent existing means of providing secure and reliable access to the delivery of large-scale infrastructure to Wallops Island,” said Rocket Lab and its co-applicant Virginia Port Authority. (The electrons are significantly smaller and are delivered via the road.)
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Rocket Lab has poured millions of people into the Mars site to make sure they are ready to support normal neutron launches. The company plans to spend more than $5 million to drough the intestines of about a mile long sloop, allowing the Barge to make regular delivery of large neutron rocket components.
The dr-removal project was approved by VMRC in May, but the company has not yet begun digging as it is still waiting for federal sign-off from the Army Corps of Engineers.
As the company awaits federal approval, Rocket Labs and the VPA are seeking permission to use a temporary method called “kedge” to allow them to arrive on schedule from September.
The company says it plans to launch a Maiden Test Mission for Neutrons in the second half of 2025. However, the separate kedge requests for dr-removal applications and rocket labs suggest that they are marine access, which could be a bottleneck for the first launch, rather than a hardware delay.
A lesser known method of voyage, Kedge is used to enable barges to safely navigate existing shallow channels. Workers use a series of anchors and lines to pilot barges through shallow waters. The company is seeking permission to use this method by the end of June 2026.
It is unclear how long it will take for the ED Garden project. If the kedge request is not approved in a timely manner, Rocket Lab said in its application that the structure can be transported over the beach using lamps and cranes. The company has been permitted to up to three beach barge landing test events, but these cannot be done between March 15th and August 31st, making it far from a long-term solution.
In the dr drage application, the company detailed several other alternatives for obtaining hardware on the island, such as transporting it on roads and public boat ramps. However, these methods were ultimately considered infeasible due to costs, infrastructure limitations, and weather.
Rocket Lab did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. Both filings highlight the importance of maritime access to Rocket Lab’s Virginia ambitions.
The sooner the company drops the KEDGE anchor in time to receive the hardware shipment, the earlier it can begin knock-off of the remaining checklist before flight.
