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Sir Peter Beck

Sir Peter Beck

Founder and chief executive officer, Rocket Lab

Appears in 7 stories

Office: Chief executive officer
Born: 1976, Invercargill
Education: James Hargest College

Last updated Nov 1, 2026

Stories

Rocket Lab secures full financing for Iridium acquisition

Money Moves

As of September 2026: Leading Rocket Lab through its largest acquisition to date

Rocket Lab has fully funded its roughly $8 billion purchase of Iridium Communications. A $1.94 billion share sale closed on schedule, and the $3.6 billion bridge loan that had backstopped the cash portion is now canceled.

Updated Sep 16

America expands its missile-defense launch capacity

Built World

As of July 2026: Leading Rocket Lab's push into Pentagon test-launch work

The Pentagon can't fly hypersonic weapons tests fast enough. On July 27, it handed Rocket Lab $266 million to help fix that.

Updated Jul 27

Rocket Lab agrees to acquire satellite operator Iridium

Money Moves

As of June 2026: Leading the acquisition

Iridium nearly vanished. In 2000, investors bought its satellite network out of bankruptcy for about $25 million. On June 29, 2026, Rocket Lab agreed to buy the same company for roughly $8 billion.

Updated Jun 29

Nasdaq-100 swaps five members for AI-infrastructure firms

Money Moves

As of June 2026: Leading the only space firm among the new additions

Before the opening bell on Monday, the Nasdaq-100 dropped five companies and added five. The new members are all tied to the AI buildout: cloud provider CoreWeave, neocloud operator Nebius, chip-connector maker Astera Labs, rocket-launch firm Rocket Lab, and chip-test company Teradyne.

Updated Jun 22

Synspective builds out its all-weather radar satellite constellation

Built World

As of June 2026: Sole launch provider for StriX satellites

On June 17, 2026, a Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifted off from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula carrying StriX-8, the latest radar satellite for Japan's Synspective. Each launch adds one more eye that can see the ground through clouds, smoke, and the dark.

Updated Jun 18

Rocket Lab closes a perfect 2025 by lofting iQPS’s QPS-SAR-15 — and locking in as its constellation workhorse

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Leading Rocket Lab through a record-cadence year for Electron and expansion into larger launch markets

Rocket Lab ended 2025 with another success. On Dec. 21, Electron lifted off from Māhia and placed iQPS's QPS-SAR-15 into orbit, extending a run of repeat business that positions Rocket Lab as a default launcher for constellation operators.

Updated May 15

Manhole-cover satellites and a 5-month head start: Space Force’s DiskSat sprint signals “launch-on-demand” maturity

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Leading Rocket Lab as it expands national security launch cadence

Rocket Lab just put four "DiskSats" into orbit for the U.S. Space Force—flat, plate-like spacecraft about the size of a manhole cover. The launch showed that the U.S. can move a new satellite design from paperwork to space faster than most people plan a product launch.

Updated May 15