A small rocket is scheduled to be launched into space from a rocket launching site on the southern tip of 'Eua during November/December 2010, according to Randa and Roderick Milliron, the founders and the major share-holders of Interorbital System IOS.

Interorbital System was founded in 1996 by Randa and Roderick of Mojave, California with a mission to build low-cost orbital and interplanetary launch vehicle.

Over the years IOS has been developing and refining their TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit, and their latest, the new IOS TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit is a low-cost at $USD8000, including the price for a launch into Low-earth-Orbit on an IOS Neptune 30 rocket. A IOS TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit weighs 1.65lbs and it has ample space to accommodate most experiment or applications. Randa said that IOS has sold hundreds of Satellite Kits to students and scientists in the United States.

Interorbital System relationship with Tonga began during the late 1990s. The third shareholder in the Interorbital System is Eric Gullichsen who had worked very closely with the then Crown Prince Tupouto'a in some of his projects, such as the establishment of the internet domain .to, and the last project before the Crown Prince retired from the Civil Service in May 1998 was the launching of a new Distant Education Computer Program in March 1998. The notion of establishing a rocket launching site in 'Eua has been around since, but this time Roderick is very confident that they will be able to launch a rocket into space before the end of 2010.

Roderick said that there are a number of very good reasons why they want to launch a satellite from Tonga. Primarily, because of big empty space to the south of 'Eua, but there are also other essentials such as low population density, low air traffic density, clear rocket staging area, warm climate, near the Equator: earth rotation advantage and access to both polar and equatorial orbits.

Randa and Roderick were in Tonga in early November to finalise some paper works, part of the preparation for the building of a launching site on the most southern dip of the island of 'Eua for the launching of a IOS TubeSat Satellite into low-earth-orbit on an IOS Neptune 30 rocket. Roderick said they will use an US Rocket Launching licence to launch their rocket from 'Eua next year. The construction of the launching pad and facility will start in June/July and the launching is scheduled for November/December 2010.

The Chief Designer for Interorbital System, Roderick Milliron said that a wide range of applications can be installed in a IOS TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit, ranging from an Earth-from-space video imaging, Earth magnetic field measurement, Satellite orientation detection (horizon sensor, gyros, accelerometers, etc.), Amateur radio relay, Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.),

Tracking migratory animals from orbit, Testing satellite stabilization methods, Biological experimentation, Automatic simple, repeating "message from orbit" transmission, and Private e-mail.

A successful launching from 'Eua next year set the base for a bigger project that IOS is participating in to compete for the Google Lunar x prize of $USD30 million. The requirements to win the prize is for the soft landing of a privately funded spacecraft on the moon, then deploy a rover that must travel 500 meters on the Lunar surface, and transmit a set of data and HD video back to earth.

Roderick said that Interorbital System is part of the team, Synergy Moon that is competing for the prize and their input is for the construction of a launching facility. For Tonga it would mean the construction of a new manufacturing facilities which in turn will provide high-tech jobs and training for Tongans and the availability of scientific and educational opportunities for Tongan students and scientists.