Funding support for Southland space hub

Awarua satellite ground station

Space Operations New Zealand Limited of Southland will receive a loan of up to $2.25 million from the fund, to assist with a $4.55 million project to expand its business.

Southland is judged an ideal location for a satellite ground station given its proximity to the South Pole, low horizon and limited radio interference.

The loan will help fund development of a headquarters building, workshops and other infrastructure at the Awarua Satellite Ground Station at Greenhills near Invercargill.

Space Operations is solely owned by Great South, an economic development agency of four Southland councils.

The project will create a regional space hub to support the continued growth and development of Southland’s space sector.

Space Operations New Zealand operates out of two hubs – the Ground Station at Greenhills, and Warkworth Space Centre north of Auckland. 

The company provides satellite launch mission support capability and ground station services for spacecraft in low-earth orbit. It hosts, maintains and operates antennae and equipment for customers around the world.

Great South first established the Ground Station at Greenhills in 2004, working with European and French space agencies.