Rocket Lab's 'Hungry Hippo' Neutron fairing arrives at spaceport in Virginia

Rocket Lab's new "Hungry Hippo" payload fairing has been safely delivered to the company's integration facilities at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), in Virginia.

The novel rocket topper will cap Rocket Lab's Neutron launch vehicle, which is still currently under development. The company had previously been progressing toward a Q1 2026 debut of the new medium-lift rocket, but a failure in the rocket's main stage during a recent pressure test has put Neutron on a more uncertain timeline.

While the next Neutron stage is being readied for its maiden flight, its Hungry Hippo fairing is undergoing post-delivery inspections ahead of transportation to MARS's Rocket Lab Launch Copmlex-3 (LC-3) for further tests.

Neutron is Rocket Lab's answer to the venerable SpaceX Falcon 9. The 141-foot (43-meter) tall, carbon composite launch vehicle will be capable of delivering up to 28,700 pounds (13,000 kilograms) to low Earth orbit, compared to Falcon 9's 50,265 pounds (22,800 kilograms). Like Falcon 9, Neutron is designed for partial reusability.

The rocket's Hungry Hippo fairing is a unique part of that reusability architecture, as, unlike other payload fairings, it remains attached to the launch vehicle rather than detaching to plumet back through the atmosphere.

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The jaw-like mechanism opens like a clamshell to release Neutron's upper stage and payload for continued flight, then closes after deployment while the rocket's first stage decelerates and maneuvers for landing either back at its launch range or on a Rocket Lab transport vessel stationed at sea.

The 46-foot (14-meter) fairing made its way via barge and truck to Rocket Lab's facilities at MARS, after departing from the company's California test facility in December. Now that is has arrived at LC-3, the fairing will undergo pre-launch qualification testing while it awaits Neutron's first stage.

"Hungry Hippo's arrival marks another step toward Neutron's debut that will usher in a new era of commercial space access," Rocket Lab said in an update on Jan. 26.