SMALLSATS, BIG IMPACT Peter Beck
When he was a child growing up in Invercargill, New Zealand, Beck already knew he wanted to build rockets. Despite most people gaining access to space through a university degree, Beck chose not to go to university when he saw no courses that would teach him what he wanted to know: how to build a rocket engine. He had envisioned his future career but aged 18 in 1995, New Zealand had no space industry. Instead, Beck worked in a local tool factory so that he had access to its machines.
His passion for space gained Beck his first investor, internet entrepreneur Mark Rocket, in 2007. Together they launched Rocket Lab, a small satellite-launching company that now has the highest launch success rate of any rocket company. Achieving his dream, Beck’s company builds reusable and lightweight rockets that provide small satellite owners with access to orbit. These satellites can be used to fight climate change, aid emergency services and assist student and scientist research.