Rocket Lab Opens Engine Factory Acquired from Virgin Orbit 

Rocket Lab Engine Development Center official opening in Long Beach. From left: Long Beach Councilwoman Megan Kerr, Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, and California State Senator Lena Gonzalez. Photo: Business Wire

Rocket Lab officially opened a new engine development center in Long Beach, California, in the facility acquired out of Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy proceedings. 

The new manufacturing complex is more than 144,000 square feet and will support high-rate production of Rocket Lab’s 3D printed Rutherford engine which powers the Electron rocket, as well development and production for the new Archimedes engine that will power its medium-lift rocket in development, Neutron.

Rocket Lab acquired the factory’s production assets, machinery, and equipment in May for $16.1 million.

In a recent interview with Via Satellite, Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said the buy saved Rocket Lab a “ridiculous amount of capital and time,” calling it a “lucky buy.” He described the company’s measured approach to increasing its manufacturing capabilities. 

“Our approach to scaling is a bit different to some in the industry. Quite often what you see is people go and raise a whole bunch of money and then build a giant building, then fill it with gear. And then, they’ll actually start building the thing they promised to investors. Rocket Lab’s approach has always been crawl, then walk, then run,” Beck said. “We add methodically and incrementally. We don’t just blow capital on a giant factory full of machines that are only 10 percent utilized in a quest to figure out how to build a rocket.”