Rocket Lab Neutron NZSA Venus Mission

Name: Rocket Lab Neutron NZSA Venus Mission
Start: 2027-12-31T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Launch Area 0 D)

Neutron

Status

TBD

Date

31 DEC 2027

00:00

Launch Provider

Rocket Lab

Launch Pad

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Launch Area 0 D)

Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Mission Overview

NZSA Venus Mission is a small direct Venus entry probe with a single 1 kg low-mass, low-cost autofluorescing nephelometer riding on a satellite bus based on the Photon Upper stage of the Electron rocket. The probe mission will spend approximately 5 minutes in the Venus cloud layers, 48-60 km above the surface, collecting in situ measurements to search for organic molecules in cloud particles and constrain particle composition.

Rocket

Neutron

Mission Type

Planetary Science

Orbit

Heliocentric N/A

Stages

Livestream

Not available

Rocket Details

Neutron is an upcoming medium-lift two-stage launch vehicle under development by Rocket Lab. Neutron features a reusable first stage fueled by LOX and Methane.

Height

40 m

Diameter

7 m

Launch Mass

480 T

Thrust

5,960 kN