---
id: "entity-org-rocket-lab"
type: "entity"
entityType: "organization"
canonicalName: "Rocket Lab"
aliases: ["Rocket Lab USA", "Rocket Lab Corporation"]
canonical_url: "rocketlabcorp.com"
source_timestamps: ["§ Summary", "§ Childhood Dreams"]
tags: ["aerospace-company", "launch-provider"]
related: ["entity-peter-beck", "entity-product-electron", "entity-product-neutron", "concept-aerospace-vertical-integration"]
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"
---
# Rocket Lab

[[entity-peter-beck|Peter Beck]]'s aerospace manufacturer and launch-service provider — a publicly traded, **end-to-end space company** founded in **2006 in New Zealand**, reincorporated in the US in **2013**. As of 2025 it employs **2,500+ people**, generates **~$600M annual revenue**, operates **four launchpads**, and is the **second most frequent U.S. rocket launcher behind SpaceX**. Market value cited in the source: **$4.8 billion**.

**Products & assets tracked in this vault:** [[entity-product-electron|Electron]] (small-lift), [[entity-product-neutron|Neutron]] (medium-lift, in development), the [[entity-product-rutherford|Rutherford]] engine, the [[entity-product-photon|Photon]] satellite bus, [[entity-launch-complex-1|Launch Complex 1]], the [[entity-product-escapade|EscaPADE]] Mars spacecraft, and acquired supplier [[entity-org-sinclair-interplanetary|Sinclair Interplanetary]].

**Strategy in this vault:** [[concept-fierce-efficiency]], [[concept-show-dont-tell]], [[concept-smart-speed]], [[concept-aerospace-vertical-integration]], [[concept-private-launch-complex]], and [[concept-dedicated-small-launch]] — codified as [[framework-rocket-lab-growth-principles]].

**Canonical reference (enrichment):** rocketlabcorp.com. Described as an end-to-end space company offering launch services (Electron, Neutron), spacecraft design/manufacturing, and satellite components; first reached space in the Southern Hemisphere with **Atea-1 in 2009**.