Mark Rocket (

né The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Stevens) is a New Zealand entrepreneur, aerospace executive, and the founder and CEO of

Kea Aerospace Kea Aerospace is a Christchurch, New Zealand-based company that is developing a solar-powered aerial imaging aircraft that goes into the stratosphere. History The Christchurch-based company was founded in 2018 by Mark Rocket, a seed ...

. He was a seed investor and co-director of

Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corporation is a Public company, publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and List of launch service providers, launch service provider. Its Rocket Lab Electron, Electron orbital rocket launches Small satellite, small satellites, and ha ...

from 2007 to 2011. Rocket became the first New Zealander to reach space through a suborbital flight with

Blue Origin Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is an American space technology company headquartered in Kent, Washington. The company operates the suborbital New Shepard rocket and the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. In addition to producing engines for its own ...

on the New Shepard NS-32 mission in 2025.

Career

Rocket founded two Internet companies in 1998 and sold one in 2006. He was a seed investor in

and served as a co-director from 2007 to 2011. In 2018, he founded

, a company developing solar-powered stratospheric aircraft, and serves as its CEO. As of 2025, Rocket is the president of Aerospace New Zealand.

Personal life

Rocket changed his surname from Stevens to Rocket in 2000. That year, he set a personal goal to become the first New Zealander to reach space. In 2006, he purchased a ticket for a 2008

Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a British-American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group conglomerate, which retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and opera ...

flight, which was intended to take him to space, but he sold the ticket after delays. In 2025, Rocket secured a seat on

's New Shepard NS-32 suborbital flight, which flew on 1 June 2025, making him the first New Zealander to reach space.

References

External links

Kea Aerospace

Rocket Lab
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocket, Mark 21st-century New Zealand businesspeople Businesspeople in aviation Chief executives in the technology industry Date of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand company founders New Zealand chief executives Rocket Lab Technology company founders