A selected group of New Zealand teachers have gained exclusive access to Rocket Lab's Mission Control Centre and rocket factory for the first time.

This is part of Rocket Lab's free professional development course for New Zealand secondary school science teachers.

Twelve Rocket Lab Space Educators – New Zealand teachers and education leaders from majority low decile schools across the country - were welcomed into Rocket Lab's facilities recently for two days of education advancement within New Zealand's largest aerospace operations centre.

The Space Educators course included private tours of Rocket Lab Mission Control and its Electron rocket production facility in Auckland, an exclusive Q&A session with Rocket Lab CEO and founder Peter Beck, and 1-on-1 opportunities with Rocket Lab engineers for teachers to develop their understanding of the space industry and create learning resources for New Zealand students.

In a bid to reverse alarming education statistics in maths and science and encourage young people to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths), Rocket Lab created its free education programme to allow teachers to become a certified Rocket Lab Space Educator, be provided with technical resources for the classroom, earn international recognition for their work, receive limited-edition Rocket Lab Space Educators merchandise and a unique mission patch, and have their efforts amplified internationally through Rocket Lab's global network of more than 500 Space Ambassador Schools.

This dedicated programme for teachers builds on Rocket Lab's Space Ambassadors, an education enterprise by Rocket Lab that has connected more than 17,000 students across 200+ schools with free interactive education experiences centered around STEM and space from Rocket Lab engineers and technicians.

Due to popular demand, this year Rocket Lab expanded both of its student- and teacher-focused education programmes throughout the United States and Canada for the first time to help meet international demand.

"Inspiring young people to pursue STEM is important, and it's also important to support teachers and educators to bring the stars within reach for more of their students, particularly in underserved communities," says Rocket Lab Education Program Lead, Felicity Powell.

"Teachers are the experts in what their students and communities need and can be a pivotal factor in a young person's ability to overcome barriers to achieving their dreams."

The next Space Educators programme opens for applications from New Zealand teachers in April 2023.

Teachers interested in applying should register their school as a Space Ambassador School so they are eligible when applications open: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/careers/education/