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Southlands role in the space sector has been given a turbo-boost from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson has announced.
Southlands Space Operations New Zealand Limited will receive a loan of up to 2.25 million from the fund as part of a 4.55 million project to expand its business.
Southland is an ideal location for a satellite ground station given its proximity to the South Pole, low horizon and limited radio interference. The loan help fund development of a headquarters building, workshops and other infrastructure at the Awarua Satellite Ground Station at Greenhills near Invercargill, Mr Patterson says.
The Minister turned a sod on the site today with the companys executives to mark the announcement.
Space Operations is solely owned as a subsidiary of Great South, a council controlled economic development agency of the Southland Councils.
The loan accelerates essential works which would otherwise have faced a two-year delay. It meets Space Operations New Zealand needs to meet current demand and to future growth plans, Mr Patterson says.
The project will create a regional space hub to support the continued growth and development of Southlands space sector.
Space Operations New Zealand operates out of two hubs - the Ground Station at Greenhills, and Warkworth Space Centre north of Auckland. The company provides satellite launch mission support capability and ground station services for spacecraft in low-earth orbit. It hosts, maintains and operates antennae and equipment for customers around the world.
Great South first established the Ground Station at Greenhills in 2004, working with European and French space agencies.
