Mark Rocket

Mark Rocket (né Stevens)^[1] is a New Zealand entrepreneur, aerospace executive, and the founder and CEO of Kea Aerospace. He was a seed investor and co-director of Rocket Lab from 2007 to 2011. Rocket became the first New Zealander to reach space through a suborbital flight with Blue Origin on the New Shepard NS-32 mission in 2025.

Mark Rocket
Rocket in 2025
Born	Mark Stevens
Citizenship	New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, aerospace executive
Known for	Founder of Kea Aerospace, seed investor in Rocket Lab
Title	CEO of Kea Aerospace

Career

Rocket founded two Internet companies in 1998 and sold one in 2006. He was a seed investor in Rocket Lab and served as a co-director from 2007 to 2011.^[2] In 2018, he founded Kea Aerospace, a company developing solar-powered stratospheric aircraft, and serves as its CEO.^[3] As of 2025, Rocket is the president of Aerospace New Zealand.^[2]

Personal life

Rocket changed his surname from Stevens to Rocket in 2000.^[4] 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 flight, which was intended to take him to space, but he sold the ticket after delays.^[5] In 2025, Rocket secured a seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-32 suborbital flight, which flew on 1 June 2025, making him the first New Zealander to reach space.^[6][7][8]