Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. Founded in New Zealand in 2006 by Peter Beck, the company is now headquartered in Long Beach, California, and became publicly traded on the NASDAQ in 2021. It specializes in dedicated small satellite launches using its Electron rocket and has expanded into spacecraft manufacturing, including the Photon satellite bus and components for major projects like NASA's CAPSTONE and the upcoming NASA-ESA Venus mission. The company operates primary launch sites at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

History

The company was founded in Auckland by engineer Peter Beck, with early development work conducted discreetly. Initial funding was secured from a group of New Zealand-based angel investors, allowing for the development of the Ātea sounding rocket. A significant turning point came in 2013 when the firm attracted major investment from Khosla Ventures and others, enabling the full-scale development of the Electron launch vehicle. The company established its first launch complex, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, on New Zealand's Māhia Peninsula, which saw the first orbital launch attempt in 2017. Following rapid growth and an increasing U.S. customer base, the corporate headquarters was moved to Long Beach, California, in 2020. The company merged with a special-purpose acquisition company, Vector Acquisition Corporation, and began trading on the NASDAQ in August 2021 under the ticker RKLB.

Launch vehicles

The primary operational launch vehicle is the Electron, a two-stage, liquid-propellant rocket designed for the dedicated launch of small satellites. It uses RP-1 and liquid oxygen propellants, powered by nine Rutherford engines on its first stage and a single vacuum-optimized Rutherford on its second. A key innovation is that many primary components, including the Rutherford engines, are manufactured using additive manufacturing. The rocket features a reusable first stage, which is recovered post-launch via parachute descent and mid-air capture by a helicopter. The company is developing a larger, medium-lift launch vehicle named Neutron, designed to be fully reusable and capable of deploying satellite constellations and conducting interplanetary missions.

Spacecraft and services

Beyond launch, the company develops and manufactures spacecraft and components through its Space Systems division. Its flagship product is the Photon satellite bus, a versatile platform based on the Electron rocket's upper stage that can support a variety of missions in low Earth orbit and beyond. Notable spacecraft projects include the CAPSTone lunar orbiter for NASA's Artemis program and the Solar Cruiser sailcraft. The division also produces a wide range of composite structures, reaction wheels, and star trackers used by other aerospace entities, including the NASA-ESA EnVision mission to Venus and various satellites for the U.S. Space Force.

Launch facilities

The company operates two primary orbital launch sites. Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 (LC-1), located on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand, was the world's first private orbital launch range and serves as the primary launch site. It includes multiple pads and a dedicated range control center. The second site, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), is located within the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. This facility supports missions for U.S. government agencies like the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force. The company also operates integration and control facilities at its headquarters in Long Beach, California, and a production complex in Auckland.

Key missions and achievements

Significant milestones include "It's a Test" in May 2017, the first orbital launch attempt from a private site in the Southern Hemisphere. The first successful commercial mission, "Still Testing," launched in January 2018, deploying three CubeSats, including Lemur-2 satellites for Spire Global. A landmark mission was "There and Back Again" in May 2022, which successfully demonstrated the mid-air helicopter capture of the Electron rocket's first stage. The CAPSTONE mission, launched in June 2022, marked the company's first deep space mission, sending a Photon spacecraft to the Moon for NASA. In 2024, the "Four of a Kind" mission successfully delivered four Telesat Lightspeed demonstration satellites to orbit for the Canadian Space Agency.