Peter Beck
Sir Peter Beck founded Rocket Lab in 2006.
  • Sir Peter Beck has built Rocket Lab into a $3.5 billion space company and SpaceX competitor.
  • The New Zealander didn't go to university and started out building rockets in his spare time.
  • Now, he's planning to take on Elon Musk and shake up the space race with a new rocket, Neutron.

Elon Musk dominates space with SpaceX — but one of his biggest rivals, who got his start strapping rockets to anything with wheels, thinks that's about to change.

Sir Peter Beck, the founder of Rocket Lab, does not have the typical background for the CEO of a billion-dollar company.