ORLANDO, Fla. — As Rocket Lab prepares to begin tests of the first Archimedes engine for its Neutron launch vehicle, the company says that the rocket won’t be ready for its first flight before the middle of 2025.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...