So far so good for NZ’s space station mission

The NG-23 cargo vehicle carrying Hēki approaches the International Space Station. (Image: Nasa)

Mon, 10 Nov 2025

About 400km above the Earth an experiment conceived in Lower Hutt is busy gathering data for a new spacecraft propulsion system. It’s based on superconductor technology that was patented in New Zealand in the late 1980s. Liftoff! BusinessDesk meets a team growing NZ space industries from Lower Hutt to greater heightsOn Sept 15 this year (NZT), the Hēki Mission launched on a Space X rocket from Cape Canaveral in the United States bound for the International Space Station (ISS).The components for a new and improved electric ion pr...

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