The Launch of Rocket Lab

by Peter Griffin, Sir Peter Beck (Introduction)

Somewhere between unlikely and impossible is where magic happens. This is where Rocket Lab was born.From a young age Sir Peter Beck had his mind set on one space. And as he tinkered with motorbikes in his parents’ garage as a teenager, he was quietly forming a plan—a plan that would eventuate into the establishment of one of the most dynamic and influential aerospace manufacturers the world has ever seen.The Launch of Rocket Lab traces Rocket Lab’s extraordinary journey from fledgling start-up to international powerhouse competing against two of the world’s richest men in the global space race.Remarkable behind-the-scenes photographs and original interviews with Beck, his team, investors, and industry experts provide a thrilling insider account of each step in Rocket Lab’s path to success.From the early days raising venture capital to the successful launch of the first Electron small orbital launch vehicle—which transformed the way we see and access space—to the company’s expansion across the US, going public on the stock exchange, and its countless partnerships with major organizations including the DARPA, the Space Test Program, United States Air Force Space Command, and NASA.
 
Now the fastest company to launch 50 rockets into space, with a market cap of US$13.63 billion, a mission to Mars in production, and plans to reach Venus in the foreseeable future, Rocket Lab has long outgrown its humble beginnings and far surpassed international expectations. A story of of innovation, dedication, teamwork, and brilliance, The Launch of Rocket Lab documents the company’s past as it looks to a future of unlimited possibility.

470 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Nicholas Smeaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite it's success Rocket Lab tends to be overlooked when people write accounts of the Space Start Ups - especially when it comes to the lavishly illustrated coffee table style books. By publishing a beautifully illustrated coffee table style book about the first 20 years of Rocket Lab Harper Collins has corrected that problem. Written by New Zealand science, technology and business journalist Peter Griffin this book provides a comprehensive account of Rocket Labs first 20 years although if you want a more detailed account of Rocket Lab's early days and how Peter Beck got the money to get the Electron off the ground I'd recommend 'When the Heavens went on sale' by Ashlee Vance. Despite the relative brevity of the text, the book still does a good job of going into the technical details around space launches and space missions in some depth while still holding the readers attention. I also noticed that while this is clearly an authorised account (Sir Peter Beck wrote the Introduction), the text doesn't shy away from some of the controversies that have been generated by the companies activities, especially the company's links to the US defense sector. As I said before, the full colour illustrations are absolutely breathtaking and I'm sure that a generation of space and science fiction artists will be using this book as a reference for years to come.
Recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the history and activities of Rocket Lab, anyone wanting an introduction to Rocket and Space launch technology and anyone wanting some inspiration for their space/science fiction art.

[Arnold Grot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Beck made many audacious and brilliant moves. The first to strike me as perhaps harlarious and outside his usually meticulous personality was breaking out a sack of bouncy balls which sealed a deal with Bessemer Venture Partners. The unexpected extra bounce was the dramatic touch needed.

End quote: “Everyone thinks you are crazy until you do it; then you are just called a visionary.” Rocket Lab achieved “Every crazy goal” under Peter Beck’s leadership, his people and his teams. From small rocket engines, small rockets and small payloads to larger engines, medium rockets and medium payloads. Including systems integration to monitor, control and operate missions. In the process Rocket Labs achieved many fist including the CAPSTONE mission around the moon. A must read for all visionaries exploring space.