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Auckland, we have a problem: First-ever NZ rocket launch postponed

Sleek, black and still on the ground, the Rocket Lab launcher crawls with its cargo to the launch pad.

Sleek, black and still on the ground, the Rocket Lab launcher crawls with its cargo to the launch pad. Photo: Rocketlab

New Zealand-based space company Rocket Lab has delayed its first commercial delivery into orbit.

The start-up was due to launch one of its 17-metre rockets from the Mahia Peninsula in the North Island on Saturday afternoon, sending its first fully-fledged business payload into space.

But the attempt had an issue at a tracking dish at a remote monitoring site in the Chatham Islands minutes before take-off.

After trying to fix the problem for about two hours, Rocket Lab announced it had scrubbed the launch for the day.

Saturday’s take-off attempt came on the first day of a two-week window – the second go at the mission after technical issues in April. It follows a series of successful tests.

Perched at the tip of the North Island’s Mahia Peninsula, the launch site commands views of ocean around and space above. Photo: Rocket Lab

The company now has until July 6 to keep trying and the next attempt will be made on Monday, depending on weather conditions.

US-owned Rocket Lab intends to focus on lifting small payloads at low costs.

The company hopes to complete a launch every two weeks in 2019 and weekly in 2020.

Australia’s new space agency gets to work on July 1, with a location for its headquarters to be decided towards the end of the year.

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