Pursuant to the desire of the Government of The United States of America and the Government of New Zealand, the countries held a bilateral Space Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on March 23 and on March 26 to strengthen bilateral space cooperation. The Space Dialogue demonstrates the robust and growing cooperation between the United States and New Zealand in outer space.
The U.S. delegation was led by Valda Vikmanis, Director of the Office of Space Affairs of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and by Eric Desautels, Director of the Office of Critical Domains for the Bureau of Emerging Threats. The New Zealand delegation was led by Andrew Johnson, Deputy Head of the New Zealand Space Agency. Chris Seed, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, delivered opening remarks that underscored priorities of strengthening commercial space ties, enhancing space security cooperation, and advancing scientific collaboration. Both delegations included whole-of-government participation.
The participants welcomed the holding of the Dialogue during a period in which the United States and New Zealand share a close cooperation on space which has had mutual benefits for both countries. In October 2024, New Zealand became the third most frequent launcher of orbital rockets, with U.S. headquartered and New Zealand founded company Rocket Lab propelling New Zealand to these new heights.
A significant focus of the Dialogue was the evolving role of the commercial space sector in supporting both economic growth and shared security interests. Discussions covered the changing role of government in enabling commercial activity and the expanding range of applications, with both sides expressing their intent to continue cooperation on spaceflight safety, launch, payloads, science and innovation, and associated technology security measures. Both sides also discussed opportunities for further cooperation to address space-related threats to shared security interests, including military space cooperation and managing the risks to ground-based space infrastructure.
The delegations recognized the potential for expanded cooperation on policy and regulatory interoperability related to commercial space, including space situational awareness, launch and reentry, and commercial remote sensing. They decided to work closely together to address regulatory constraints that hinder effective cooperation, commercial engagement, and mutual benefits.
Participants welcomed the open and productive nature of the Dialogue, which included discussion on space cooperation grounded in the principles of the Artemis Accords, to which New Zealand was an early signatory. Both sides emphasized the importance of promoting peaceful and transparent behavior in outer space.
Participants acknowledged New Zealand’s geographic advantages have enabled frequent and responsive launches for U.S. industry and government agencies, adding strategic resilience to launch capacity. New Zealand’s location has enabled hosting of ground-based space infrastructure to enhance both space situational awareness and communications with spacecraft. The United States noted New Zealand’s recently passed, world‑first legislation on the operation of ground-based space infrastructure, which strengthens its ability to protect New Zealand’s national interests and values.
New Zealand’s growing focus on space security has opened new avenues for cooperation, strengthening the United States and New Zealand partnership and advancing practical efforts to promote stability, resilience, and the responsible use of space.
New Zealand’s Space Scholarships program, where New Zealand funds post graduate students to complete a three-month internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where they contribute to cutting-edge space technology projects, was acknowledged as a way to create enduring space connections between New Zealand and the United States.
Participants also welcomed the announcement of the first round of joint research projects between New Zealand research institutes and NASA centers, focusing on Earth observation. These projects lay the foundation for future collaborations in other research areas, including potential contributions to the Artemis program following the March 24-25 Ignition events and announcements at NASA headquarters.
Both countries resolved to continue working together in these areas and to explore other opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including facilitating bilateral commercial connections.
Part spaceship, part shop, the first Vollebak Spaceshop launched in Copenhagen in June. Before it heads off to service nearby galaxies, our friends at Vollebak are sending it on a world tour of Earth first.
Over the last year our friends at Volleback have partnered with sonic powerhouse Bang & Olufsen and Saga Space Architects to build their first prototype interstellar delivery vehicle …the Vollebak Spaceshop.
The craft itself is over 1,000kg of precision engineering that offers a glimpse into a future of interplanetary kit deliveries between Earth, the Moon and Mars. It was designed with SAGA Space Architects whose work includes lunar habitats for the European Space Agency, and lighting systems to help astronauts sleep on the International Space Station. And it’s fitted with Bang & Olufsen’s iconic Beolab 5 and Beosound 2 speakers.
If you missed launch night it involved space-based clothing, Earth-based alcohol, and the sound of the Spaceshop flexing its 120 decibels of muscle with ‘Intergalactic’ by the Beastie Boys. As soon as the next destination has been selected they’ll let you know. And while you’re waiting they have 4 pieces of space-ready cargo available for testing.
It includes their Martian Aerogel Jackets which are built from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s hypersonic deep space parachutes that landed the last Rover on Mars – and the same aerogel that stopped it freezing in the vacuum of space, and burning up on entry. They have their awesome Full Metal Jackets engineered from 11 kilometres of disease-resistant copper that were hailed by WIRED as “the virus-killing coat of the future,” and they’ve built to explore how humans could avoid taking diseases from Earth up into space.
You’ll also find electromagnetic Shielding Suits embedded with pure silver that block WiFi, Bluetooth, Ku-band satellites and radar systems, and deflect mid and long wave infrared radiation so they can’t be seen on infrared cameras. And last up they have the world’s first Anodised Jacket. Built with metallic insulation originally engineered by NASA to stop their spacecraft freezing in space, each jacket is fused with a near-invisible layer of metal from a galvanic bath that makes you appear cold or even invisible to infrared cameras.
