I just happen to be vacationing in New Zealand right now and must say I did perk up when I heard the nightly news anchor boastfully announce NZ's "entry into the space race." After watching the launch and the reaction from the gathered crowd, which I believe included a Labor MP, I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the night.
The news from this corner of the world is fantastic. Virtually nothing goes wrong, there are no enemies and every trivial news item gets a front page on some or all news papers with prime time tv coverage (which this launching in fact did.) I couldn't tell if the anchor was serious about NZ entering the space race or there was some serious tongue in cheek going on. I suspect the later as everyone I've encountered here has been fantastically friendly, warm and generally happy to be in NZ and proud of it's stature in the world.
My favourite quote from the Rocket Lab website (talking about a rocket powered dragster):
The rocket engine has been fully built but we haven't yet had the opportunity to build a suitable vehicle... or find a driver willing to endure acceleration of up to 420 km per hour in five seconds.
