Rocket Lab to star in HBO documentary on the commercial space race

The original space race saw the U.S. and Russian governments fighting for spaceflight dominance, resulting in the first satellites being put in orbit, the formation of NASA and, ultimately, the moon landing. Today, the NewSpace race is commercial, with private companies vying for as large a share of low Earth orbit as they can get their metaphorical hands on.

This commercial struggle for extraterrestrial real estate is the basis of the 93-minute HBO documentary “Wild Wild Space,” which focuses on the rivalry between the founders of Long Beach-based Rocket Lab and Alameda-based Astra.

“Wild Wild Space follows six nail-biting years of highs, lows, challenges and triumphs for Rocket Lab and other new space players,” Morgan Connaughton, a spokesperson for Rocket Lab said. “It shines a light on the lesser known parts of the small launch industry and Rocket Lab’s history, hopefully giving space fans a new insight into what it took to become the Rocket Lab of today.”

The film, which is based on journalist Ashlee Vance’s 2023 book “When the Heavens Went on Sale,” is set to release on Max (formerly HBO Max) on July 17.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck founded the company in 2006 with no aerospace background or university education, while Astra CEO Chris Kemp founded his firm in 2016 after serving as chief technology officer of NASA.

Rocket Lab launched its first Electron rocket on May 25, 2017, followed by three launches in 2018 and six in 2019. The company relocated its headquarters to Long Beach in 2020 and has since had 40 missions from its two complexes.

On June 19, Rocket Lab successfully deployed five satellites to orbit for its 50th mission. The Long Beach company is the number two small satellite launch firm in the U.S., according to trade publication Ars Technica.

Astra, meanwhile, has five launches under its belt, according to the company’s website. But the company has faced setbacks, including its struggles to raise funds. Several times over the past year, Astra officials have considered filing for bankruptcy, SpaceNews reports.

The two companies are not just competing amongst themselves, of course. The sector has long been dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which shows no signs of slowing. But the two firms, as well as others in the industry, are continuing to fight for their share of the cosmos by deploying commercial satellites for clients such as Will Marshall’s Planet Labs, which is also featured in the film.

“We enjoyed it and we think anyone who is interested in space will too,” Connaughton said of the documentary, adding that, rivalries aside, the company has “enormous respect for anyone trying to do things in space because it’s one of the hardest things you can pursue.”

The documentary was directed by Academy Award-winner Ross Kauffman, who has over three decades in the film industry with credits including the feature documentaries “Born Into Brothels,” “E-Team,” “Tigerland” and more. His Netflix original short documentary “What Would Sophia Loren Do?” was shortlisted for the 2021 Academy Awards.

Kauffman is an adjunct professor at The School of Visual Arts Social Documentary Masters Program and guest lectures at high schools and universities around the world.

The film is a feather in the cap for Long Beach, which has a burgeoning space sector that has become a major focus for Mayor Rex Richardson since he took office at the end of 2022. Over the past nine years, space companies have flocked to the city, which has a rich aerospace history with aviation.

The aerospace resurgence in Long Beach began in 2015 when Virgin Galactic came to the city, quickly morphing into the now-defunct Virgin Orbit. Today, the city is bustling with space-related firms, including 3D-rocket developer Relativity Space, commercial space station developer Vast, SpinLaunch, space mining firm ExLabs and more.