Mahia rocket launch will not happen on Monday

Rocket Lab's Electron rocket at the launch site on the Mahia Peninsula, where liftoff has been delayed at least a day because of a forecast for wind. Photo / File

The historic rocket launch from Mahia Peninsula won't happen on Monday because of wind forecast for the area.

The first-day deferral was confirmed late today on Rocket Lab's twitter page, saying further announcements will be made as to whether it could go ahead on Tuesday.

Bring the space age to Northern Hawke's Bay, Rocket Lab last week announced a 10-day launch "window", from May 22-June 3, with few worries about a delay.

"If we get to orbit on the first flight, we will have done something most countries have never achieved," Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck told the Herald on Sunday.

"The vehicle will be in a state of readiness for the next week-and-a-half," he said.

Access to the Onenui Station site for the World's first launch from a private launch-pad has been limited with the closure of Mahia East Coast Rd from 9am to 8pm on launch day.

Weather agency Metservice was forecasting sunny weather in the Napier to Gisborne area through to at least Wednesday.

But in the area around the launch site there were expected to be southwesterlies easing from 40 knots today, turning to northwesterlies up to about 20 knots on Tuesday and easing to variable 10 knot winds by early Wednesday.