What did we put in space? Rocket Lab boss says mysterious payload was aboard Electron

January 22, 2018

Peter Beck says the Electron rocket carried commercial satellites into space - but also something else.

Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck says his company delivered a mysterious object into orbit during yesterday's Electron launch - but he's not revealing exactly what just yet.

Electron launched from the Mahia Peninsula yesterday afternoon, carrying a payload of commercial satellites into low Earth orbit.

Mr Beck, speaking this morning to TVNZ 1's Breakfast, teased that there was another object taken to space, possibly belonging to Rocket Lab themselves.

"I wasn't just going to put up everybody else's payload," he said.

"There's much more to this mission than meets the eye and we'll make an announcement about that in the next couple of days."

The US/New Zealand company has developed revolutionary technology which allows for rocket launches at a fraction of the price of a conventional launch.

"Your average rocket costs about $60 million - and we do it for between six and ten [million]," Mr Beck said.

Satellite payloads themselves are worth anywhere from $200,000 to "half a billion".

The company hopes to begin commercial launches next year and eventually launch one rocket every week.

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