A shared commitment to the safe, secure and responsible use of outer space is at the heart of a new agreement between the New Zealand Space Agency and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) said today.
Signed in Berlin by MBIE’s General Manager Science, Innovation and International, Iain Cossar and BMWK’s Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, Dr Anna Christmann, it formalises conversation around global norms in space as both nations seek to maximise the economic, environmental and social benefits of space activities and technology.
Known as the Space Collaboration Arrangement, the agreement paves the way for closer regulatory, policy and research collaboration between New Zealand and Germany, the Ministry said in a statement.
“It also opens the door for engagement in areas such as space security, detecting and tracking objects in orbit and expanding commercial links,” it said.
“New Zealand has a strong history of science and innovation collaboration with Germany. This is underpinned by an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation signed in 1977.
“In 2020, MBIE invited proposals for joint feasibility studies with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to be co-funded under the Catalyst Fund.”
The agencies are now jointly supporting a set of eight collaborative research projects to support the development of aerospace technology capability, establish enduring research partnerships and jointly contribute to solving global economic, environmental, and social challenges.
Catalyst: Strategic New Zealand–German Aerospace Centre Joint Research Programme.
