When asked if he had ever dreamed about going into space, he said, “Absolutely not.
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck says he would never board a rocket.
“I know every part of the rocket intimately, and the safety factor is 1.1 to 1.2 everywhere. So I have immense respect for astronauts that can climb aboard a rocket and put that out of their mind.
“I would not be able to do that.”
Despite his concern about rocket travel, he said he would happily travel by helicopter.
“I’m a helicopter pilot, so that’s fine because I don’t know the safety factor of everything that I’m flying on, but if you know the thing you’re flying on, I think that’s worse.”
At the beginning of Rocket Lab, Beck said he would split his time 50/50 between the US and New Zealand.
He always enjoyed coming home and didn’t foresee that changing.
“The only thing that’s changed is now we have Rocket Lab Europe, so I’ve got to travel a little bit further.
“Unfortunately, what that also means is you’ve got US time, New Zealand time, and European time, and if you mash all those together, it’s like literally my phone is ringing 24 hours a day.”
Rocket Lab has booked 16 missions for its yet-to-launch Neutron rocket, which is booked until at least 2030.
Beck was recently named CEO of the Year at the 2026 BusinessDesk CEO Index Awards.
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