The Innovative Partnerships team at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has signed an agreement with United States commercial space company Axiom Space Inc that will help New Zealand researchers advance world-leading space science and technology

The New Zealand space sector is set to star in NASA’s CAPSTONE moon mission – with Rocket Lab launching a satellite to the Moon from New Zealand in June, and the lift-off of a separate NASA-NZ lunar research project, New Zealand Space Agency Manager Andrew Johnson says.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has today released a report into the operation and effectiveness of New Zealand’s space regulatory regime. A review of the Outer Space and High-Altitude Activities Act (OSHAA Act) was required by law after it had been in place for 3 years.

Christchurch aspires to be New Zealand’s aerospace hub by 2025 and one man in particular is determined to play a leading role in the growth of this important national and global sector. Mark Rocket, Kea Aerospace founder, former co-director of Rocket Lab and President of the industry group Aerospace Christchurch is passionate about attracting new aerospace businesses to New Zealand.

Shanelle Dyer is an MSc Geography student at the University of Canterbury, using remote sensing and GIS for conservation. Her thesis focuses on counting Weddell seals in the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Antarctica, in an effort to see how well MPAs protect our vulnerable marine life.

UC Aerospace, one of the largest academic clubs at the University of Canterbury is aiming to make Canterbury a hub for aerospace talent by building career pathways for students. The club runs multiple outreach programmes at both primary and high-school levels to grow student interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and rocketry.

Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom and Eric Dahlstrom have been working in the space industry for over three decades. As part of a team of passionate space technologists and educators, they have helped create a social enterprise called SpaceBase, focused on space education, entrepreneurship and collaboration.

In 2021 Haritina Mogosanu applied to be an astronaut at the European Space Agency (ESA). Read her story below.