Journalism of Courage
Advertisement
Premium

New Zealand will be launching commercial rockets to space soon

Founded by New Zealander Peter Beck, Rocket Lab was last week given official approval to conduct three test launches from a peninsula in the South Pacific nation.

Via wiki media commons

New Zealand has never had a space program but could soon be launching commercial rockets more often than the United States. That’s if the plans of California-based company Rocket Lab work out.

Founded by New Zealander Peter Beck, the company was last week given official approval to conduct three test launches from a remote peninsula in the South Pacific nation. Rocket Lab is planning the first launch of its Electron rocket sometime from Monday, depending on conditions.

Rocket Lab hopes to begin commercial launches later this year and eventually launch one rocket every week. It plans to keep costs low by using lightweight, disposable rockets with 3D-printed engines. It’s a different plan than some other space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which uses larger rockets to carry bigger payloads.

From the homepage

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
  • New Zealand Space programme
Edition
Install the Express App for
a better experience
Featured
Trending Topics
News
Multimedia
Follow Us
Sandeep Dwivedi columnJesus was with me, said Jemimah and other tales of faith moving mountains
X