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.

Imagine if scientists could accurately predict the severity of storms and other climate phenomena, giving those in their path potentially life-saving information.

The NZ Space Agency ‘Design a Satellite Mission’ competition challenged students in years 7 to 10 to think of ways a satellite could help fight climate change. Find out more and read the winning entries.

Space is of immense strategic importance around the world, and New Zealand’s unique location and conditions make it an attractive choice for an increasing amount of space activity.