In this episode: We meet Peter Beck, the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, a space technology company and global leader in dedicated small satellite launches. Since founding the business in 2006, Peter has grown Rocket Lab to become a globally recognized industry leader in space, and a billion-dollar company employing hundreds of world-class engineers and technicians. In this conversation, Peter discusses how he first became interested in space as a child, what led him to establish Rocket Lab, some of the company’s most challenging and memorable launches, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the company and its workplaces, and Rocket Lab’s foray into designing interplanetary missions to Venus and beyond. Explaining his thoughts on the future of space exploration, Peter says, “If we stay on the same trajectory of ... exponential development, then in 50 years’ time — man, we probably will be ... in another solar system somewhere.” To learn more about Rocket Lab, visit rocketlabusa.com. Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged