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| Rocket Lab: New Zealand space launch is first from a private site | Rocket Lab: New Zealand space launch is first from a private site |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An American company has launched a rocket into space from New Zealand, the first from a private launch facility. | An American company has launched a rocket into space from New Zealand, the first from a private launch facility. |
| Rocket Lab's 17m (56ft) Electron rocket took off from the Mahia peninsula, in North Island, the firm said on Twitter. | Rocket Lab's 17m (56ft) Electron rocket took off from the Mahia peninsula, in North Island, the firm said on Twitter. |
| The test flight was the first launch ever from New Zealand and is a major first step in an emerging market; launching cheap disposable rockets to carry small satellites and other cargo. | |
| The company plans to start frequent commercial launches later this year. | The company plans to start frequent commercial launches later this year. |
| Poor weather conditions had pushed the launch into the fourth day of a 10-day window and the Electron finally took off at 16:20 local time (04:20 GMT). | |
| The test launch, one of three planned, did not carry any actual cargo, but Rocket Lab says eventually the Electron rocket will carry 150kg (331lbs) into orbit. | The test launch, one of three planned, did not carry any actual cargo, but Rocket Lab says eventually the Electron rocket will carry 150kg (331lbs) into orbit. |
| Why is the launch significant? | |
| Rocket launches in themselves are not a big deal. Neither are private commercial ones with Elon Musk's SpaceX likely the most famous example. | |
| But SpaceX builds huge rockets aimed at following in the footsteps of Nasa missions, delivering cargo to the international space station and eventually sending man to Mars. | |
| Rocket Lab's Electron is an entirely different ballgame. Its goal is to launch what, by comparison, is a tiny rocket for a fraction of the price. | |
| That means that launches can be more frequent and a lot cheaper. | |
| There is a growing market for small satellites and so-called cubesats - small rectangular boxes that may weigh only a few kilos which are used for instance to gather pictures of Earth and weather data. | |
| Currently, the only way of getting these into orbit is by hitching a ride on a big rocket as a secondary payload. | |
| While Rocket Lab is a US company, founder and chief executive Peter Beck is from New Zealand. |