The year marches on - and brings with it the November newsletter!
The last month has been fantastic with the New Zealand Space and Advanced Aviation sectors on display at IAC2025 and also the incredible New Zealand Aerospace Summit in Christchurch.
Read on for all the latest news from Dunedin to the Cosmos…
+ scroll down for more of your usual dose of highlights, podcasts, and media recommendations
DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR OTAGO SPACE RESEARCH!
In the latest MBIE Endeavour round the University of Otago had an outstanding showing, including not one, but two space-themed Programmes being funded in the Department of Physics! A clear demonstration of the research excellence and potential that Otago and the South holds as the NZ space sector continues to grow!
Our two new space-based projects are Building critical capability for space-based climate monitoring with next generation photonics, led by Prof. Harald Schwefel (pictured above with team members Dr Mallika Suresh and Assoc. Prof. Annika Seppälä) and Solar tsunamis: Next-generation space weather prediction and response for New Zealand, led by Prof. Craig Rodger.
New Zealand has been on show to the world! Firstly, the incredible IAC2025 event in Sydney 🇦🇺
Your editor had the privilege of attending and being part of the brilliant New Zealand delegation - thank you to the incredible NZ Space Agency and to NZ Trade and Enterprise for coordinating. Minister for Space, Judith Collins, was an enthusiastic champion of all our efforts at IAC.
Minister Collins was also championing NZ's world-leading commitments to the space sector at the New Zealand Aerospace Summit.
OTAGO SNAPSHOT
Our regular feature, highlighting key researchers and research foci at the University of Otago In September the University of Otago and Aero+Space South was delighted to host Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria. In his exceptional career he has completed six space missions and holds the record for most extravehicular activities (10 spacewalks) and the longest cumulative time (67 hours 40 minutes) and is now Chief Astronaut at Axiom Space. Michael spent time visiting key space researchers at Otago and in doing outreach events at Tūhura Otago Museum and in Timaru.
AERO+SPACE SOUTH MERCH!
Launched last month, hoodies and T shirts – they have already been seen at events in three countries. Available in any colour you like (as long as you like a cool tech-entrepreneur shade of black). If the world’s top Astronaut can wear one then so can you...
Show your support for the South's space cluster:
T-shirts $28 / Hoodies $58
Contact your editor or any or the Aero+Space South team to get one.
NEWS ROUNDUP New Zealand
Time for our usual check in with Rocket Lab, and they haven’t been sitting on their hands
And now across the Tasman...
And now on around the world…
UPCOMING EVENTS 2026
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
READING LIST
Your editor had a fair bit of time on planes recently and he was able to read this gem. Rocket Dreams by Christian Davenport provides a fantastic look at the high stakes space industry and the face off between the billionaires. Love them or loathe them, Bezos and Musk are responsible for the massive transformation of space, space hardware and the future of space exploration.
SPACE QUOTE OF THE MONTH "You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not wonder what it's like to be up there amongst the stars. And I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos"
SPACE PODCAST OF THE MONTH
Lockheed Martin adapting to a faster space race… the space industry is changing dramatically… how is an established player reacting to the new competitive environment?
SpaceBusiness@Otago is a regular newsletter produced by the Research & Enterprise Team at the University of Otago and Aero+Space South, the aerospace cluster in Otago/Southland thought-led by the team. It is designed to be a summary of interesting articles, links and updates on research and business opportunities in the wider New Zealand and global space sector.
If you were forwarded this newsletter, we welcome you to 'opt in' to future newsletters by sending an email to d.powell@otago.ac.nz (Your Editor) or paul.foster-bell@otago.ac.nz. To unsubscribe click here or reply to this email with your request.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone else who might be interested!
