New Zealand Trade & Enterprise invited Rocket Lab to participate in a Trade Mission to Canada, and we were on the November 2nd inaugural Air New Zealand direct flight from Auckland to Vancouver. Instead of having to change planes in the US, it was a relatively easy 14 hour overnighter flight. Have dinner, watch a film, catch some zzz’s, watch another film with breakfast… and you’re there.

The trip was superb; we met with a number of related businesses and talked with university space researchers. I was very impressed with the friendliness of the locals and the beautiful landscapes, so I hope to get back there soon. As a result of the new direct flights between New Zealand and Canada, there’ll be a significant increase in visitor numbers from both countries. So far, there are three flights going each way every week, which Air New Zealand hopes to increase in short time.

Check out the The Canada Tourism Council of New Zealand to plan your trip!

Image from Flickr Crank 2: High Voltage dvdrip .

As codirector, Rocket is right behind the developments of Rocket Lab, a private space company whose 5.5 metre sub-orbital rocket is due to be launched in September 2008. As well as this latest feather in his cap, Rocket is director and founder of NZS.com, and has a successful tourism directory and Web design company to his name.

• Japan Sinks (Nihon chinbotsu) trailer

Rocket Lab’s technical director, Peter Beck, has been hard at work developing rocket propulsion technology for more than a decade and yesterday unveiled Atea-01 (’atea’ means ’space’ in Te Reo Maori), a sub-orbital space rocket. Beck said the rocket “will be launched using systems designed to deliver high standards of environmental and public safety.” It will fly to a height of 150 kilometres and be available (at a going rate of between $50,000 and $100,000) for scientific testing and research into climate change, micro gravity and atmospheric conditions. Traveling at four times the speed of sound, the unmanned rocket will be powered by a specialised solid fuel, designed for minimal environmental impact.

What makes New Zealand such a great location for space technology development? Rocket says our clear air space and receptive regulatory environment make New Zealand the perfect location for space technology to flourish. Speaking this morning, Rocket is looking foward to a bright future. He has enjoyed “a superb response since Rocket Lab’s public launch yesterday” and is “very excited about the prospect of forming a space industry in New Zealand.”

Trevor Mallard, Minister of Economic Development, agrees. He has praised Rocket Lab’s creative vision and believes their innovative, low cost solutions will not only provide relatively affordable public access to space; they’ll also lead to the creation of an internationally respected sub-orbital space industry in New Zealand, with positive flow-on effects for our aviation and technology sectors. Mallard says Rocket Lab shows pioneering creativity, “leveraging off New Zealand’s unique geographical position and creating a specialist area of technical expertise.”

Stay tuned for further developments: Rocket claims space hotels, launch pads and space lines are all part of the private space industry’s current speedy development.

• Check out the New Zealand Spaceflight Association (NZSA) site for current space news and events. The low $50 annual subscription gives you access to regular meetings and their two-monthly magazine ‘Liftoff’.
• A team of New Zealand radio amateurs are constructing KiwiSAT, a New Zealand designed and built orbiting satellite which they aim to launch within a few years. KiwiSAT will include a scientific research package and enable global amateur radio communications. Donations are accepted to help with the extensive costs of this exciting project.
• Rocket Lab is based in Auckland and is launching suborbital research and commercial payloads into space from 2008. The A-tea series of rocket is designed to carry 25 to 70 kg to an altitude of 150 to 250 km.
• Stonehenge Aotearoa is located in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, just north of Wellington, and is built on the same scale as the original Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, in England. This isn’t simply a Stonehenge replica, though; it’s been specifically designed as a practical open-sky observatory for the Southern Hemisphere and is used to teach the calendars of time and seasons. It combines modern scientific knowledge with ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Celtic, Polynesian and Maori starlore.
• Have you seen some strange objects in the sky? Do you have missing time? Take a fascinating look into the world of UFO’s at UFOCUS NZ, a UFO research, support and resource network.
• Stepping into the future, the Star Wars New Zealand (SWNZ) site looks to encourage Star Wars related hobbies and provide fan information for Kiwi Trekkies. New Zealand also finds itself with a mention in Memory Alpha, the Star Trek encyclopedia.

Alrighty, I’m outta time – beam me up!