Ever wonder why rockets don't shoot straight up into space? Discover the fascinating physics behind curved rocket launch trajectories and gravity turns.

Hours after a Blue Origin rocket blew up on a Florida launch pad last month, a SpaceX rocket lofted a military payload from a nearby site—neatly illustrating concerns about whether the commercial launch industry can actually add providers quickly enough to match the Pentagon’s accelerating demands.

For years, Rocket Lab was the closest thing retail investors had to owning SpaceX -- but that changes on June 12. Now that both stocks will be available.