Manufacturing and Testing Services

Situated within Rocket Lab’s headquarters is a chemical laboratory used for preparation and formulation of all in-house developed materials. Rocket Lab uses these facilities to formulate, manufacture and develop innovative propellants, ablative heat shields and composite materials.

The laboratory is equipped with a number of facilities for the formulation and manufacture of hybrid propellants:

• A Reeves 100-A-15 dual planetary mixer, allowing for processing of propellants at various atmospheric pressures and temperatures.
• JEOL Scanning Electron Microscope
• Data Acquisition
• Ultrasound Inspection
• Vacuum oven facility
• High temperature furnaces
• Vacuum mixing equipment
• High-precision balances
• Fume extraction hoods
• Traditional mixers, autoclave and chemical handling equipment

Manufacturing Facility

Rocket Lab operates a small manufacturing facility that includes all typical manual machines such as lathes, milling machines and welders. Rocket Lab uses this facility for rapid prototyping of components and support for testing programs. More complex or flight articles are produced by Rocket Lab’s manufacturing partner RPM Engineering.  RPM operates a large state of the art machining facility with machine resources such as EDM wire cut, 5-axis CNC and other state-of-the-art machining and fabrication facilities.

Check Out and Assembly

Rocket Lab has inspection, check-out and assembly facilities within its Auckland headquarters. A purpose-built and fitted clean room exists for carrying out payload integration, flight component check-outs and assembly of sensitive components.

Test Facilities

Through the collaborative relationships within Brooke House, Rocket Lab has access to a variety of testing facilities including:

• Static and Dynamic Instron universal testing machines
• 2-axis low frequency shaker table, enclosed in environmental chamber
• 2-axis high frequency table
• Servo-hydraulic controlled water impact rig
• Shock and vibration testing to MIL-109-E
• Lab scale thrust stand and data acquisition for fuel characterisation
• Propellant formulation, mixing and casting facilities
• Strand chamber for characterisation of solid fuel/oxidiser propellants
• Oxy-Acetylene ablation test rig to ASTM E285 Standard
• Spectrum analyzer (for combustion stability)