RKLB Factory Tour: Satellites, Spacecraft & Mission Control
Aug 26, 2026 · 24:50
Sir Peter Beck gives a Rocket Lab factory tour and details how the company grew from under $100,000 New Zealand dollars in startup capital into a vertically integrated space company, arguing spacecraft components are as much a moat as launch. He traces the Electron rocket reaching orbit on under $100 million and 80 people, the 2021 public listing, and three acquisitions made to impose discipline and build a multi-generational company. Beck recounts operating NASA's CAPSTONE lunar mission, his Venus life-detection dream mission, and NASA's LOxSAT liquid-oxygen storage work. He warns most new space entrants underestimate the gap between putting a satellite on orbit and building one that lasts 12 years in harsh radiation.
