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Latest estimates value the company Rocket Lab successfully tested dad, giving him an early taste for Production
at around $US1.4 billion. its ‘kick-stage releases’ on its space, leading him to build his own With 2018’s satellite launch book full
“The investors we have involved Still Testing Electron launch telescope and tinker with rockets and Rocket Lab is focused on orders in
come from making very successful vehicle in January. rocket lab jet propulsion on bikes, scooters and 2020 and 2021, with capacity all but
companies and you can’t achieve the rollerblades. full in 2019.
kind of valuation and raise the capital In his first job as a toolmaking It has six rockets in production at
we have without having a very good apprentice at the Dunedin factory present, but Beck says Rocket Lab
business case. The business is in good of whitegoods developer Fisher & is close to completing one vehicle a
shape,” Beck says. Paykel, then later working in its month.
design office with a supportive staff, The company aims to get
Awards the use of the company’s high-tech production up to one every two weeks
Beck has been named New Zealand’s facilities and discarded titanium he next year.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the tested and built small rockets after “They’re pretty aggressive timelines
Year in 2016 , been admitted to the hours. He demonstrated his rocket- but historically we’ve delivered pretty
NZ Hall of Fame, and awarded the powered bicycle in a 140km/h blast well on those sorts of things,” Beck
Most Inspiring Individual gong in the down a main Dunedin street. After a says.
Innovation in Design and Engineering stint at a yacht production company “There are customers who have
category at the 2014 NZ Innovators he contacted the government-owned, been waiting years for a ride.”
Awards ceremony. Industrial Research Limited (now
He says while the awards are ‘They’re Callaghan Innovation) where he Other players
fantastic and he is humbled by being secured a job as a research engineer. Rocket Lab and Space X are the
recognised as an achiever, at the pretty He recalls how it was the perfect only private companies that deliver
end of the day he is measured on stomping ground for a wannabe satellites to orbit, but Rocket Lab is
his execution, not the trophy in the aggressive rocket man with government assets the only small launch vehicle provider.
cabinet. timelines but at his fingertips and great minds to “We are enjoying that moment as

Engineering family collaborate with on materials, ranging there is a huge demand in the market,”
Beck says.
from composites to superconductors,
Beck comes from a family of engineers. historically all relevant to the rocket industry. But he makes no bones about how
His father Russell built a large After surveying the aerospace hard it has been getting to this point.
reflector telescope for the Southland we’ve situation on a trip to the US with “You have to raise tremendous
museum, where he worked after his wife Kerryn, and realising it was amounts of capital and build
an engineering job. As a child Beck delivered.’ no further ahead than he was, he incredibly complex things – things
attended meetings of the Astronomical launched his first rocket in 2009 and that governments and countries build,
Society at the museum with his PETER BECK the rest is history. not commercial companies.

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