Payloads approved for launch
We’re committed to keeping New Zealanders informed about the range of payloads launched into space from New Zealand.
On this page
As part of this commitment we are releasing, on a quarterly basis, a summary of all payloads approved for launch by the Minister for Space.
Summary of approved payloads
We have approved a range of payloads for launch from New Zealand and this diversity is shown below by country, owner, purpose and size of all payloads up to 31 December 2024.
Where information has not been published about a payload, there are grounds for withholding that information under the Official Information Act 1982.
Number of payload permits approved
3 payload permits were issued between 1 October and 31 December 2024 bringing the total to 127 payload permits approved to date.
New Zealand payload permits by country
Of the applicants, 2 were from Japan and 1 payload applicant was from Rwanda.
The 2 payloads from Japan are for remote sensing purposes and the payload from Rwanda is a technology demonstrator for Internet of Things connectivity.
Payload owners by organisation type
127 payload permits have been issued to 120 different organisations, including:
- 77 commercial organisations
- 22 government organisations
- 19 academic institutions
- 2 non profit organisations
Note that some payload permits are for more than 1 satellite.
Payload sizes
New Zealand generally launches small satellites, and CubeSats in particular.
The total number of satellites permitted are shown in the chart below. Most of the satellites are at a nanosatellite size (221), followed by picosatellites (169), microsatellites (68) and minisatellites (15).
Payload size definitions
The payload sizes are defined as:
- Picosatellite (10g to 1kg)
- Nanosatellites (1kg to 10kg): This includes CubeSats which are cube-shaped satellites that can come in a range sizes. 1 Unit (e.g. 1U) is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and weighs approximately 1kg.
- Microsatellites (10kg to 100kg)
- Mini Satellite (100kg to 180kg)
Payload purposes
The following summarise some of the approved payload purposes for science (16), technology demonstration (64), remote sensing (43), educational (14) and other commercial (68). Note some payloads can have more than one purpose.
Science
Some examples of scientific payloads that have been launched from New Zealand include:
- collecting data from space to investigate whether there is a link between with atmospheric activity and tectonic activity on Earth
- conducting space weather experiments
- collecting radio signals from outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Technology demonstration
Some examples of technology demonstration payloads that have been launched from New Zealand include:
- demonstrating audio, video and data file transfer capabilities between ground facilities and the payloads
- providing calibration points for ground based radar to assist with the tracking of orbital debris
- testing efficient battery charging in an orbital environment.
Remote sensing
New Zealand has launched commercial payloads, such as those that have remote sensing capabilities, which are owned by the United States, France, Japan, and Singapore. Remote sensing includes observing the Earth from their respective satellites and providing these images to their customers. Payload missions that New Zealand has launched include satellites gaining real-time images and maritime traffic tracking.
Educational
There are a range of educational missions that we have approved payloads for; this includes for students in Mexico, Australia and several U.S. academic institutions who have developed and built CubeSats that we launched in New Zealand. Some of their missions encapsulate research and development and remote sensing purposes and include:
- conducting digital image processing and software improvement experiments as part of their study
- broadcasting Morse Code messages across the world on amateur radio frequencies. Students around the world will be able to receive these messages
- collecting and recording data on the radiation present in low Earth Orbit
- taking photos of the Earth, Moon and Venus with the integrated camera.
Other commercial
Commercial organisations put up a variety of payloads for different purposes including science, remote sensing and technology demonstration and educational. Other commercial purposes which do not fit into these categories include:
- creating artificial meteor showers
- providing commercial data connectivity services through providing low-power and low-data rate VHF communications between Earth and Space.
In this section
Approved payloads
The below summaries are for all payloads and other licences approved between 1 October and 31 December 2024.
Process to launch a payload
Payloads launched from New Zealand must meet tests to ensure public safety, minimise potential to create orbital debris. They must also be consistent with international obligations, national security, and wider national interest.