All things Aerospace
The third annual Aerospace Summit brought together a diverse range of people including industry, innovators, researchers, startups and investors. With over 700 attendees, this year’s Summit had a theme of ‘Aerospace for Good’ throughout the various keynote speakers, panel presentations and discussions . From Dawn Aerospace's signing of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Zero Debris Charter through to Mark Rocket's updates on Kea Aerospace (solar-powered, stratospheric aircraft that collects aerial imagery), there is an increasingly strong sustainability focus in this sector.
As a recent member of the Aerospace NZ Committee , there was some planning too for the expected protesters - see the media release here .
Focus Sessions
The first day kicked off with a deep dive into three streams. The VC panel (led by Angus Blair from Outset Ventures who are currently raising their Fund II for deep tech investment), followed by startup pitch sessions; the Regulatory panels, with emerging technologies and airspace integration a hot topic; and the Academic panels (led by Sarah Kessans), showcasing a dozen innovative research projects and ventures.
I would have loved to have gone to all of them, but this year I chose the academic sessions. We got to hear about plants for space, dark skies space law, Paihau-Robinson Research Institute 's high temperature superconductors (HTS) for space applications...and about a potential Carrington Class event . My key takeaway is that pathways into the space economy are many and varied! If you're interested in collaboration opportunities:
Pauline Harris (Massey University and the MacDiarmid Institute) leads the Māori Aerospace Strategy, and reminded us that as we look to the future we need to keep in mind the vital role we play as kaitiaki (guardians) of this beautiful taonga (treasure). The responsibility to balance innovation with care for our environment is more important than ever.
Aerospace Summit
Minister for Space, Judith Collins launched the refreshed NZ Space and Advanced Aviation Strategy document, including an improved aviation regulatory environment, and permanent airspace sandboxes for exclusive use for advanced aviation and aerospace initiatives. Of the seven Arohia Trailblazers she announced , the majority were innovating in either aerospace or CleanTech.?
“I would really like to see the aerospace regulations that the minister mentioned advanced. We are exploring a national mission that will help grow the industry.” Ian Cossar, New Zealand Space Agency
The Summit keynote speakers were outstanding, with Hidetaka Aoki sharing his vision for Space Port Japan and the New Space Economy. He wants to connect spaceports in New Zealand and Japan via point-to-point transportation, exploring new business opportunities along the way.
Charity Weeden outlined the key tenets of NASA's Space Sustainability Strategy with a focus on technology and policy. Acknowledging that August 2024 was the hottest on record, NASA’s PREFIRE CubeSat mission launched from Aotearoa, NZ earlier this year and has started collecting data on earth science. Partnerships (such as the Rongowai project, with researchers collaborating with NASA, the NZ Space Agency and Air NZ ) continue to build research, science and innovation capability here. Solving the problem of space debris in Low Earth orbit (LEO) is also a strong focus - more space activities equals more debris, and a higher risk of collisions.?
And not just aerospace either - Heidi Hauf talked about the energy transition required for sustainable aviation. With more than 10 billion flights annually predicted by 2050 (more than double the current number), aviation contributes 2.5% of the world’s total carbon . The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG ) brings together experts from all parts of the air transport value chain, and have committed to net zero 2050. While electrification at this time is limited by range and battery weight, hydrogen fuel cells are being explored for medium-range flights. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are already available in limited supply as a drop in jet fuel replacement for long range flights, but challenges include affordability, competition for feedstocks and economically efficient scales of production.
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“The only way that we actually going to achieve a sustainable aviation sector is through collaboration, bringing ideas from other sectors that are perhaps more advanced in sustainability than ours, and working together across space, defence and aviation so that we can achieve our sustainable aviation future.” Heidi Hauf
The Future Fuels and the Hydrogen Consortium panel discussion with Andrew Clennett (Hiringa Energy), Barry Prince (Fabrum), Bob Criner (Stralis Aircraft), Claire Waghorn (Christchurch International Airport) and moderator Shaun Johnson (Air New Zealand) was thought provoking. There's plenty of work being done on future fuels strategy and visioning of the future, but infrastructure is critical. Startup Stralis Aircraft is retrofitting a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza with a hydrogen-electric propulsion system as a stepping stone toward enabling Australia’s first zero-emission commercial flight, but some questions still need to be answered on the role of the airport network nationally.
The exhibitions were also brilliant, and it was great to see strong representation from the research, science and innovation (RSI) sector, including from the commercialisation ecosystem.
Korea - NZ Smart Cooperation Forum
Held immediately following the Summit, this Smart Cooperation forum focused on both the Aerospace and Clean Energy sectors. The demand for hydrogen is increasing globally, and investment in infrastructure here in Aotearoa, New Zealand is essential.
The panel on advancing business opportunities in clean energy, led by Linda Wright from the NZ Hydrogen Council, provided interesting discussions on renewable energy, green hydrogen and the energy transition. Ben Kim POSCO Australia, talked about the massive demand for green hydrogen, and the company is actively aligning its investment strategy with renewable energy opportunities. Andrew Clennett from Hiringa Energy , based in Taranaki, offers a reliable supply of green hydrogen but is faced with the "chicken and egg" infrastructure challenge for mass adoption. Recent recipients of the ārohia Trailblazer grant, FABRUM 's Ojas Mahapatra also discussed the energy transition and supply chain challenge.
The Aerospace panel, led by Mark Rocket (Kea Aerospace), showcased some of the innovation in the sector from the Summit and also talked about partnership opportunities. A great example of this, Stefan Powell from Dawn Aerospace is seeking more innovative collaborations and announced their partnership with South Korea's Perigee Aerospace Inc . For ground-to-space transportation service, Perigee is developing a two-stage launch vehicle called Blue Whale 1 (BW1). The companies are working together on an upcoming mission, focusing on the launch of?green-propulsion satellites?into a 500 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit.
Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre
As a bonus to the Summit, I got an invitation to the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre to see the runway and new hangar. Located at Kaitorete on the east coast of Te Waipounamu, the South Island, this area has been identified as one of the world’s best locations for aerospace and was the original location of choice for Rocket Lab. The 25km-long, 3km-wide land ticks all the boxes for key technical aerospace and launch criteria and is well placed to provide access to desirable orbits. (Permission is required to use the runway, so no GA flights sorry.)
All in all, plenty of inspiration - watch this space!