---
id: "entity-launch-complex-1"
type: "entity"
entityType: "place"
canonicalName: "Launch Complex 1"
aliases: ["LC-1", "LC-1 Māhia"]
canonical_url: "rocketlabcorp.com (Launch sites – LC-1 Māhia)"
source_timestamps: ["§ Fueling Growth"]
tags: ["infrastructure", "new-zealand"]
related: ["concept-private-launch-complex", "claim-launch-infrastructure-advantage"]
sources: ["tail2"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail2"
originDay: 2
articleStem: "hbr-tail-119-rocket-lab-founder"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/03/the-founder-of-rocket-lab-on-competing-with-billionaires-to-lead-in-space"
sourceTitle: "The Founder of Rocket Lab on Competing with Billionaires to Lead in Space"
---
# Launch Complex 1

The world's first **private orbital-launch complex**, located on the **Māhia Peninsula** in New Zealand and completed in the **fall of 2016**. It serves as [[entity-org-rocket-lab|Rocket Lab]]'s primary [[entity-product-electron|Electron]] launch site, giving the company absolute control over launch scheduling. It is the physical embodiment of [[concept-private-launch-complex]] and the evidence base for [[claim-launch-infrastructure-advantage]].

**Canonical reference (enrichment):** rocketlabcorp.com → Launch sites – LC-1 Māhia; widely referred to as the first private orbital launch site, enabling high-frequency operations and tighter schedule control.