December 2025 Company Update
As we start the new year, here’s a look at key Terran R program milestones from December 2025.
Design
This month, the team released 1,526 flight parts and the integrated thrust structure fluids assembly, unlocking downstream manufacturing and keeping the integration schedule moving at pace.
Build
Hardware for Terran R is advancing across primary structures, subsystems, and components. Following acceptance testing, the stage two tank returned to the factory for integration, where teams performed non-destructive evaluation (NDE) to confirm workmanship and modal testing to validate structural dynamics, before completing mechanical assembly and installing composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs).
On the interstage, the forward barrel completed mechanical assembly and was handed off for machining on the vertical turning lathe (VTL). The aft barrel followed closely behind, clearing weld inspections, moving through paint, and entering mechanical assembly.
The stage one tank is completing remaining structural work ahead of integration, while progress continues on the stage one downcomer, with the inner tube now welded to the mainline stack and measuring in at 57 feet (17.4 meters) long.
Production of a dedicated stage one qualification article is in progress, with panels manufactured and barrel welding underway.
On the thrust structure, fire ceiling installation progressed this month, and avionics tray installation is nearly complete. Meanwhile, the tube shop team fabricated feedlines and manifolds, which will route and distribute propellant and fluids. Work is progressing beyond first flight, with the thrust structure for flight two actively being built – laying the groundwork for scalable production.
In propulsion, the team shipped another first stage Aeon R flight engine, which will undergo acceptance testing (ATP) prior to integration on the thrust structure. All main combustion chambers (MCCs) for flight 1 have now been printed, with continued progress on process controls and cell infrastructure to reduce cycle time and support higher production rates.
Test
Engine hardware is building toward a critical mass, with six engines on-site at NASA Stennis in a single day. The team completed acceptance testing on two additional Aeon R first stage flight engines and continued development testing of Aeon V second stage engines.
We continue to expand and upgrade our test infrastructure in Mississippi. The first columns were installed for the new hangar, and the propellant pad infrastructure for the A2 stage test stand was brought online with cryogenic system flushes at the LOX pad.
Back in Long Beach, the materials team ran four simultaneous test campaigns to evaluate fatigue and anodization on various specimens. Meanwhile, the mechanisms team conducted vibration testing on the throttle valve actuator, which drives Aeon R engine valves.
Launch
At Cape Canaveral, the focus has shifted from below-grade and design development to facility outfitting and concept of operations planning. Throughout December, teams continued installing siding and insulation on the horizontal integration facility (HIF), poured above-ground concrete for the launch mount, and advanced welding of cross-country piping and the water tower tank. Structural steel has gone vertical for the pad support facility, which will house power distribution, IT, and data and control systems. In addition, construction officially began on the engineering support building, designed to accommodate up to 150 people.
As exciting as 2025 was, it was just the opening chapter. In 2026, it all comes together. With major test campaigns and lead-up-to-launch milestones on the horizon, it’s shaping up to be a defining year. Thanks for joining us on this journey and get ready for what’s ahead.