Rocket LabThe commercial space race is heating up again as startup Rocket Lab successfully launched its first Electron rocket (named "It's A Test"), successfully made it into space. "It has been an incredible day and I’m immensely proud of our talented team," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. Rocket Lab uses 3D-printing as part of their engine manufacturing process, and their rocket designs are geared towards simplicity, with an aim to scale so that mass production of their rockets is possible. On May 3, space startup Vector had its first successful test flight, although unlike Rocket Lab's, Vector's rocket didn't make it into space. (Although the two companies aren't quite competitors - Vector is targeting companies with smaller payloads than Rocket Lab.)

Source: Forbes May 25, 2017 12:45 UTC