New Zealand To Launch First Private Space Rocket

Posted by kdawson on Monday November 16, 2009 @10:07PM from the hobbits-in-space dept.

RobGoldsmith sends in a Space Fellowship piece (which seems to be a press release) about New Zealand's entry into the space age. "Private New Zealand aerospace company Rocket Lab completed its final ground-based test today and is now ready to launch New Zealand into the space race with its Atea-1 launch vehicle. The first high-altitude launch of Atea-1 is scheduled for the end of November this year. Once Atea-1 has successfully concluded the development phase it will be the first privately built rocket launched from the Southern Hemisphere to enter space. The article features a new CGI movie on the launch."

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Re:Rocket Lab to launch... by Nefarious+Wheel · 2009-11-17 01:05 · Score: 3, Interesting

I've seen some pretty amazing engineering coming out of our NZ neighbors. They remind me of the Swiss more than anyone else. Amazing motorcycles, Stirling-cycle heat pumps, custom cars, all good stuff and very advanced. It would not surprise me in the least if they succeeded in a private space venture.
Add good engineering to the amazing amount of high quality educational material available online (the full University syllabus material out there) and I can imagine little pockets of excellent engineering and sound science popping up all over the globe.
Give the Internet some credit for this too.

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Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear