New Zealand Space Agency

The New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA), established in 2016 and operating within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in Wellington, is the government body responsible for regulating New Zealand's space activities, managing the country's international space relationships, and supporting the domestic space industry — a sector that has grown rapidly since Rocket Lab established its primary orbital launch site on the Mahia Peninsula.

NZSA's regulatory function centers on administering the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017 (OSHAA), which established New Zealand's national legal framework for licensing space launches, payload approvals, and return operations. New Zealand became the first country to issue a launch license to a private commercial company for an orbital launch site when it licensed Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 at Mahia Peninsula — a remote coastal promontory on New Zealand's North Island — in 2017. The location's southern latitude (~39°S) and launch azimuths over the Pacific Ocean make it well-suited for sun-synchronous and low-inclination LEO orbits serving Earth observation customers. Rocket Lab has conducted over 50 Electron launches from Mahia, making New Zealand the world's third most frequently used orbital launch location after the U.S. and Russia during peak activity periods.

Beyond licensing, NZSA manages New Zealand's bilateral space cooperation agreements — including with NASA, ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency — and represents New Zealand at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for orbital slot and frequency coordination. The agency oversees the registration of New Zealand-licensed satellites and launch vehicles per the 1975 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.

NZSA also administers funding programs to develop domestic space capability beyond Rocket Lab, including Earth observation data use, space situational awareness collaboration, and STEM education initiatives to build a broader space talent pipeline.