Simon Willoughby-Martin is an aerospace technician and full-blown space geek who has turned a lifelong obsession with rockets into both a career and a mission. During his time at Rocket Lab, he played a hands-on role assembling and testing launch vehicle systems that helped send the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon, and helped establish and run the Rocket Club in collaboration with MOTAT—giving students a direct pathway into real-world space engineering.
As the founder of Christchurch Rocketeers and director of It’s Not Rocket Science, Simon now brings the thrill of rocketry to life for young people—running explosive (and safe!) hands-on programmes where students don’t just learn about space, they build, launch, and experience it for themselves. Through initiatives like the Aotearoa Aerospace Academy space camps, he’s on a mission to inspire the next generation of engineers, explorers, and future space pioneers.