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After graduating from the [[Royal Naval College, Portsmouth]], he takes up a commission in the Royal Marines. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], he is almost killed by a falling [[spar (sailing)|spar]], and takes several years to recover.
Just before the First Fleet sails for what is to be the [[penal colony]] of New South Wales, he is invited by the Astronomer Royal to take instruments and observe the passage of a predicted comet. He accepts, and is also in the company of another officer
As the astronomer, Rooke is given considerable freedom and constructs an observatory on a headland outside the colony's camp. Conflicted by internal struggles and driven by his desire to be undisturbed, he asks permission to establish his own hut in the vicinity of the observatory, remaining in it except when required to be at the camp or on routine, and for weekly meals to keep in contact with other officers.
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