New Zealand plans space mission, satellite fleet: minister

New Zealand plans space mission, satellite fleet: minister

New Zealand is planning a national space mission which could see a small fleet of state-owned satellites launched into the skies over the Pacific nation, a minister told AFP on Wednesday.

"Actions to progress to a large-scale mission are being advanced," Minister for Space Judith Collins said.

The mission would involve sending up "one or more government-owned satellites" for "regular coverage of areas of national interest, such as humanitarian and disaster response or monitoring for illegal fishing".

"This would reduce the government's reliance on external providers for this important information," she added.

Documents obtained by AFP pitch the mission as a boon for the nation's science sector and a commercial opportunity.

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