The launch site is a homecoming for the company (Image: Rocket Lab)

Are Kiwis about to fly? New Zealand looks set to become the first country to host a private launch site for orbital rockets.

Rocket Lab, a firm founded in New Zealand but now based in the US, will build the facility on Kaitorete Spit near Christchurch, and plans to send the first payload into orbit by the end of the year.

Orbital launches from state-owned sites have waiting times of up to a year and are too costly for many space ventures, says Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck.


“You pretty much have to write a cheque for a billion dollars,” he says. “What would happen if you removed a zero off the end of that? It opens the market up to more interesting ventures.”

Rocket Lab is aiming to make 100 launches a year, each costing under $5 million. The cost reductions are feasible because of the frequent launches, good launch location, new rocket technology and integrating the rocket manufacturing and launch infrastructure in one place, according to Beck.

But why New Zealand? “It is surprising for some people but for us it makes sense. It’s not because we started in New Zealand or anything like that,” says Beck.

“The reason why we’re in New Zealand is to reach the [orbital angles] we need and also to have the kind of launch frequencies we need to service the market.” From the south of the country, Rocket Lab will be able to reach a variety of valuable orbital slots, and shipping and air traffic is low so delays will be rare, he says.