Mark Rocket
Position: CEO Kea Aerospace. Entrepreneur, Avatar, NZS.com. Former director, Rocket Lab.
Field: Investing in New Zealand technology.
Mark Rocket is an internet entrepreneur and space enthusiast. One of his ventures, New Zealand Tourism Online, was purchased by Telecom Yellow Pages mid-2006. Other enterprises include Avatar, a web design and marketing company, and the web directory NZS.com.
Spaceship 2
Mark Rocket at the unveiling of Spaceship 2 in Mojave 2009. Visible is a model of Spaceship 2, the vehicle developed for suborbital space tourism by Virgin Galactic.
Mark was the first New Zealander to book a ticket into space with Virgin Galactic. That was in 2006 but Virgin Galactic experience delays with its commercial space flights. Mark made it into space on Blue Origin's NS-32 mission on 31 May 2025. The suborbital space flight lasted 11 minutes from launch to touchdown.
When Mark started working in the internet industry back in 1994, few people would have predicted how far-reaching internet technology would become and how significantly it would affect modern culture. In a similar way, he believes that the space industry will continue to result in huge advances in energy systems, environmental systems, communication systems and new materials, so there are sure to continue to be major spin-offs that will affect many areas of our lives.
I feel that we are on the verge of an era where space tourism will open up a plethora of exciting new technologies, many we can't yet imagine.
As part of his investment in this international space venture, Mark has developed a wide network within the international space community, and he remains passionate about developing the commercial space industry.
New Zealand’s place in space
Mark Rocket, a space enthusiast, was an early seed investor in Rocket Lab. Mark describes New Zealand’s proud past contribution to space exploration through Sir William Pickering. Peter Beck, founder and technical director of Rocket Lab describes how he first formed Rocket Lab in 2006.
A person Mark regards highly is Sir William Pickering, a New Zealander who made significant contributions to space exploration when he headed up NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mark believes that New Zealand has the potential to continue making significant technological contributions to rocket and space technology.
Mark is a former company director of Rocket Lab and was an investor in the company in it's early days: 2007–2011. Rocket Lab has grown from an Auckland-based company to a USA based company with research and development facilities in Auckland and the world's first orbital rocket launch site on the East Coast of New Zealand. Mark saw investment in Rocket Lab as a way to raise New Zealand’s space profile. Keep up-to-date with Rocket Lab' adventures here.
Mark's interest in space is still strong. As CEO of Kea Aerospace, Mark is focused on developing innovative aerospace technology. This includes the Kea Atmos – a solar powered, remotely piloted aircraft capable of flying in the stratosphere for months at a time. The Kea Atmos' initial focus will be on providing high-resolution and frequent aerial imagery.
Kea Aerospace
Kea Aerospace is building unmanned solar-powered aircraft as a sustainable way to collect high-resolution Earth observation data.
Select here to view video transcript, discussion questions and copyright information.
In 2025 Mark reached one of his life goals – to reach fly into space – after participating in a Blue Origin suborbital flight, also becoming the first New Zealander in space. Watch this YouTube video about this experience.
Useful links
The Rocket Lab website has lots of information, including videos, rocket specification details and a regularly updated news section.
Find out about Kea Aerospace.
Mark Rocket is president of industry body Aerospace New Zealand
Read about Mark's 2025 space flight in this New Zealand Herald article.
Find out more about Mark and his career in this video on the ChristchurchNZ website.
This article is based on information current in 2021 and updated in 2026.
