NZDF Celebrates Successful Launch Of A Second Satellite Payload

A second New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) payload, hosted on a United States research satellite, has been successfully launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket.

The Tui payload, named after the native bird, was built by a team of scientists from the NZDF’s Defence Science and Technology (DST).

It was launched on a Space X Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, California, in the Western United States on Wednesday 15 January (NZ time).

Tui is the primary payload on the Otter mission, a research satellite developed by the US Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Tui is the NZDF’s second on-orbit research payload and represents another important milestone for both the NZDF and the wider New Zealand space enterprise.

The NZDF’s first orbital research payload, Korimako, successfully launched in March 2024, again hosted on an NPS satellite.

“The Tui payload launch demonstrates a continuation of DST’s pathway into space operations research and development that began with the Korimako payload,” said DST Director David Galligan.

“We are delighted to be enabled in these endeavours through our strong international partnerships.”

The purpose of the experimental payload is to test communication pathways that will help reduce communications delays in space operations.

The NZDF payload will generate data over a two-year period and will be used to inform NZ defence space policy considerations and potential future research work.

Through this ongoing research venture, the NZDF, in collaboration with its international partners, is continuing to lay the groundwork for future space operations and will generate knowledge to enable future NZDF and wider government space development.

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