Rocket Lab's secret payload owned by Mexican defence agency

Monday, 22 July 2019

Rocket Lab customers can request confidentiality, but NZ's Space Agency says it plans to become more proactive in letting people know what satellites are being launched from NZ.

The secret payload launched from Rocket Lab's last Electron rocket in June has been revealed to be a rudimentary surveillance satellite paid for by the Mexican military.

Rocket Lab honoured a request from Mexico not to disclose information about the satellite when it originally announced its sixth orbital mission in May.

But the New Zealand Space Agency identified the Mexico Secretariat of National Defence (Sedena) as the satellite's owner in response to an Official Information Act request.

Sedena is Rocket Lab's first military customer outside of the United States.

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The decision to release the payload information appears a recognition by government officials that there is a legitimate public interest in knowing what satellites are being approved for launch from New Zealand.

Space Agency head Peter Crabtree said it was 'developing a process for the proactive release of information about approved payloads' to increase transparency around payload advice and decisions and 'address the growing public interest in payloads launched from New Zealand'.

Rocket Lab's mission control in Auckland has overseen the deployment of 35 satellites, a fifth of which have been for defence-related organisations.

'We are still working through the details of what information will be included and the frequency of its release, but are working to make this live later this year,' he said.

'Doing this will not preclude us from releasing other material in line with government proactive release guidelines and the Official Information Act,' he said.

The Space Agency, which is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is required to provide advice to ministers on whether to issue payload permits, with newly-appointed Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford now having the final say.

In addition to its national defence obligations and its role in combating drug production and smuggling in Mexico, Sedena has been reported to have become increasingly involved in efforts by the Mexican government to prevent illegal migration.

Some of the Space Agency's commentary on Sedena's payload application was redacted on the grounds that it might prejudice the international relations of the New Zealand government.

But it indicated no concerns about approving the carriage of the Mexican satellite, called Painini-1, subject to advice which was also received from the GCSB and SIS.

The Space Agency said the satellite was carrying four web camera-like sensors which would be trained only on Mexican territory and which it described as 'basic technology'.

Although the satellite is owned and operated by Sedena, the Space Agency said its purpose was to enable students at the Ensenada Centre for Scientific Research and Higher Education to experiment on improving digital signal processing and Earth station software.

The research was unlikely to have any direct military application and did not trigger any national interest concerns, the Space Agency said.

'The outcome of this mission will inform future prototypes of this payload, some of which may potentially be launched from New Zealand,' it added.

Rocket Lab did not indicate any objection to the Space Agency releasing the information on the Mexican satellite.

Spokeswoman Morgan Bailey said it worked closely with the agency and its customers to encourage transparency around payloads.

'In some cases, payload information may be commercially sensitive. However, information about the payload purpose and function is always provided to the New Zealand government as part of the robust payload permitting process.

'Our customers understand and support this process,' she said.

Rocket Lab disclosed the owners of all the other 34 satellites it has so far put into space prior to their launch, with the exception of its own inert Humanity Star satellite which it launched as a surprise.

Seven of the satellites are owned by defence-related organisations, with Painini-1 the first with a military connection outside of the United States.

Rocket Lab's next mission is scheduled for August, with the company next aiming to prove to customers that it can launch a mission-a-month.