Aerospace Challenge for entrepreneurs to showcase latest satellite and drone technology

Saturday, 9 March 2019

SpaceBase entrepreneurs who helped set up the Aerospace Challenge - Eric Dahlstrom (left), Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom and Rich Bodo on a visit to NASA-owned Hangar One in Moffett Field in California.

Drones, satellites and the latest computer technology are being employed by hopefuls in the second annual New Zealand Aerospace Challenge.

It was launched by Andrew Mathewson, the Australia Pacific managing director of aeronautical and space company Airbus which is sponsoring the event in partnership with economic development quango ChristchurchNZ .

The theme of this year's challenge is sustainability in the agricultural sector - exploring ways of identifying water or soil pollution, and enhancing crop management or services using the latest satellite and drone aircraft technology.

Last year's winner was GPS Control Systems for a navigation satellite system to help heavy tracked vehicles detect and avoid perilous ice shelf crevasses.

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Australia Pacific managing director of aeronautical and space company Airbus.

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Up to 20 applicants will be invited into an incubator programme with access to Airbus data and technology, and mentorship from technology and agricultural specialists - the winner will receive $30,000 and access to other commercialisation support..

The challenge will culminate in a national demonstration event hosted by ChristchurchNZ in October.

The NZ Space Challenge was the brain child of space enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, Eric Dahlstrom and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, who established educational company SpaceBase with fellow co-founder Rich Bodo.

Paat-Dahlstrom who also spoke at the launch talked about how the event was part of 'democratising' space research.

A drone at the launch at the 2019 New Zealand Aerospace Challenge.

Another speaker was chief executive Toni Laming of Blinc Innovation, a research and collaboration group based at Lincoln University.

The 2018 challenge sought technological solutions to navigating extreme environments of Antarctica, and outer space.

John Ahearn, team leader of 2018 winner GPS Control Systems said it had been a daunting task to compete with a talented group of finalists.

Ahearn said he had always been fascinated by Antarctica and visited on a field trip as part of a post-graduate certificate in Antarctic studies.

Other regional finalists last year included an augmented reality system by Christchurch's JIX and Orbica Limited, a suborbital rocket by Kiwi Orbitals, an airborne ice penetrating radar by UTIG Cryo Group, and Dunedin's Deep Space Labs with a multi-spectral data analysis technique using artificial intelligence.

Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Megan Woods, said Government support was part of its commitment to increasing research and development.

'Partnerships like these support the development of New Zealand as an internationally credible, competitive and connected research and development destination.'