Dawn Aerospace wins Best Medium Business 2022

The prestigious New Zealand International Business Awards (NZIBA) were held last night, with Dawn Aerospace winning in the Best Medium Business category.

Since winning the Best Emerging Business at the 2021 New Zealand Business Awards, the judges said it's been inspiring to watch Dawn Aerospace's progress. One commented that Dawn Aerospace has disruptive technology that is competitive and hard to replicate but still very commercial​. "They have systems in place to enable sustainability and scalability of the business, and they're ​deliberately focussing on being a commercially sustainable business with ambitious goals."

This is the first time in the award’s history that a company has won Best Emerging Business and then Best Medium business only one year apart.

The NZIBA is run by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and dates back over 50 years, showcasing a history of successful export businesses. Aotearoa is home to many talented exporters who are growing the economy and putting New Zealand on the world stage.

Dawn CEO and Co-founder Stefan Powell described the win as a “wonderful recognition of the rapidly growing space sector in Aotearoa and Dawn Aerospace’s contribution to the industry.  I’d like to acknowledge the hard work, passion, and dedication of our talented team.”

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 27: Stefan Powell and James Powell pose with Hon Damien O'Connor after accepting the award for Best Medium Business during the New Zealand International Business Awards 2022 at Shed 10 on October 27, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for NZTE)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 27: Stefan Powell and James Powell accept the award for Best Medium Business during the New Zealand International Business Awards 2022 at Shed 10 on October 27, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for NZTE)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 27: Winners of the Best Medium Business award James Powell (L) and Stefan Powell (R) of Dawn Aerospace pose for a photograph during the New Zealand International Business Awards 2022 at Shed 10 on October 27, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for NZTE)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 27: Award winners and presenters pose on stage for a group photo following the New Zealand International Business Awards 2022 at Shed 10 on October 27, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for NZTE)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 27: Hon Stuart Nash speaks during the New Zealand International Business Awards 2022 at Shed 10 on October 27, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for NZTE)

Dawn Aerospace's mission is an ambitious one, to enable the next generation of space users by providing dramatically more scalable and sustainable ways to access and move around in space. Since 2019, the company has provided global customers with in-space propulsion products used to propel satellites. These propulsion units have been launched on SpaceX, Soyuz, and Vega launchers.

Dawn is now a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for NanoSat, MicroSat, ESPA, and ESPA Grande-class satellites. The company is also active in reusable launch vehicle development. It has an active test-flight program of the MK-II Aurora spaceplane demonstrator, with 40+ flights completed from the base of Aoraki Mt Cook.