Christchurch based start-up, Dawn Aerospace, has been awarded “Hi-Tech Start-up Company of the Year” at the 2020 NZ Hi-Tech awards hosted on 21 August.

In the opinion of the judges, “Dawn Aerospace is not only the highest tech, but it is also the most creditably ambitious finalist in this start-up category. As the revenue stream from the sale of their safer cheaper satellite thrusters grows, Dawn Aerospace is able to focus more and more on solving a very large problem for society, and that is repeatable space flight.”

View all category winners here.

Dawn Aerospace is developing technology to access space in a more scalable and sustainable way than is currently possible with traditional rockets. Their “spaceplanes”, such as the Mk-II Aurora, will one-day launch satellites into space. It is the second rocket-powered aircraft or “spaceplane” produced by Dawn Aerospace. It will be capable of flights to above 100km altitude, the border to space, before returning to land at an airport. Upon landing, it can be refuelled and flown again within hours. It will be the first vehicle ever to be capable of such a feat multiple times per day.

Dawn Aerospace also produces non-toxic propulsion for use on satellites themselves. These provide mobility to satellites long after delivering them to space. They allow the satellites to maintain their orbits, dodge space debris, and at the end of the satellites life, renter the Earth’s atmosphere in a controlled manner.

Stefan Powell, CTO says “It is fantastic to be recognised at such a high level and a real testament to the dedication of the Dawn team. And we owe a massive thanks to everyone that supports us; Callaghan Innovation, the NZ Space Agency, our investors and our loyal customers. Together, we are making Sci-Fi dreams a reality.”

Dawn was also a finalist for “Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product” award with the “CubeDrive” satellite propulsion system, and Stefan Powell was a finalist for the “Hi-Tech Young Achiever” award.

In addition to announcing the Award winners, The Hi-Tech Trust announced the establishment of The Hi-Tech Foundation. “The goal of the Hi-Tech Foundation is to provide a forum for the career development and advancement of technology professionals and students by reducing barriers to entry and inequity of opportunity within the sector. We’ve made great strides in the last 12 months to further encourage diversity and inclusiveness as an industry. The Hi-Tech Foundation will play a major part in accelerating further change, people with talent from any background will be empowered to find a pathway to flourish,” said Erin Wansbrough, New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust Chair.

Dawn signed an MOU with Waitaki District Council earlier this year for suborbital flights out of Oamaru Airport for their spaceplane. Their satellite propulsion systems will be also be tested on-orbit for the first time this year with three satellites slated to be launch with Dawn propulsion before the end of the year.  

Dawn Aerospace acquired seed funding of 3.3million NZD in December 2018, as well as funding for the project through Callaghan Innovation. They were awarded a grant of $500,000 from NZSA for development of non-toxic satellite propulsion. The company also has a significant facility in Delft, The Netherlands.

For more info, photos and video, contact media@dawnaerospace.com or see www.dawnaerospace.com

Full coverage of the awards night.