实验室公司再次推迟了其性能更强劲的新款“中子”火箭的首飞计划，该火箭的首次发射时间被推迟至2027年。
Lab Corp. again delayed the debut of its new, more powerful Neutron rocket, pushing the vehicle’s first flight to 2027.
此次延迟是“中子”火箭开发过程中发生的多次延期中的最新一次。此前，公司在发射前的准备阶段发现该火箭的燃料箱制造环节存在新的问题。
The delay, the latest of several for Neutron, comes after the company identified a new issue with how the rocket’s propellant tanks are manufactured in the lead up to launch.
“我曾说过，我们不会为了赶进度而冒不必要的风险，像‘中子’这样的研发项目必然会遇到各种挑战，”火箭实验室首席执行官彼得·贝克在一段解释此次延迟的视频中说道，“最近我们又遇到了一个难题，导致‘中子’火箭的首飞时间不得不推迟到明年。”周三公告发布后，火箭实验室股价在美股盘后交易中下跌7.3%，报54.85美元；在此前，其股价今年以来已累计下跌约15%。
“I’ve also said that we won’t rush to the pad with unnecessary risk, and that development programs like Neutron have their challenges,” Rocket Lab Chief Executive Officer Peter Beck said in a video explaining the new delay. “Recently, we hit one of those challenges that has moved Neutron’s first launch into next year.”Rocket Lab fell 7.3% in US postmarket trading to $54.85. Its shares closed down about 15% year-to-date before the announcement on Wednesday.
该公司原本计划在2026年底前完成“中子”火箭的首次发射。不过今年8月，火箭实验室曾暗示今年让该火箭升空难度较大。
The company had been aiming to launch Neutron for the first time before the end of 2026. But Rocket Lab hinted in August that it would be challenging to see the rocket fly this year.
火箭实验室目前主力运营的火箭是“电子”号，该火箭专为将体积较小的卫星送入轨道而设计。“中子”号则是一款性能更强的火箭，旨在搭载更重的载荷，与SpaceX旗下的主力火箭“猎鹰9号”展开直接竞争。
Rocket Lab’s primary operational rocket is Electron, which is designed to launch relatively small satellites to orbit. Neutron is meant to be a much more capable vehicle, designed to lift heavier payloads and compete more directly with SpaceX’s dominant Falcon 9 rocket.
“中子”火箭在研发过程中已多次遭遇延期。2021年火箭实验室首次公布该火箭项目时，原计划在2024年完成其首次发射，但发射时间先后被推迟至2025年，如今又推迟到了今年。
Neutron has already faced numerous delays throughout its development. When Rocket Lab first announced the vehicle in 2021, the company planned to launch Neutron for the first time in 2024. But the timeframe for launch has been repeatedly pushed back, first to 2025 and then to this year.
2026年对“中子”火箭的研发而言是艰难的一年。1月份，一次测试中“中子”火箭的燃料箱发生破裂，火箭实验室称该问题是由第三方制造商制造的缺陷所致。此后，公司转而采用新的制造工艺并调整了部分设计，但这又引发了新的问题——燃料箱顶部出现了气泡。
But 2026 has been a tough year for Neutron development. In January, a Neutron propellant tank ruptured during a test, which Rocket Lab said was caused by a defect introduced by a third-party manufacturer. Afterward, the company pivoted to a new manufacturing process and made some design changes, but that introduced a new issue that caused air pockets to form in the domes of the tanks.
贝克指出，公司能够复现该问题，并在制造工艺中增加了新的步骤，以防止气泡产生。然而，识别问题并引入修复方案所花费的时间导致发布被推迟至明年。
Beck noted that the company was able to replicate the issue and added new steps to the manufacturing process to prevent the air pockets from forming. However, the time it took to identify the problem and introduce a fix pushed the launch back to next year.