Aerospace Christchurch Meet Up #14: Christchurch Taking Flight!
September 29, 2020
What an absolutely incredible event with an impressive turnout! At Meet Up #14 we heard from our captivating presenters about the region’s aerospace capabilities and a bright future.
Christchurch As A ‘Magnet City’
Ed McKnight, Economist, OPES Partners
Our Gold Sponsors spoke about Canterbury being ideally suited as a hub for the aerospace industry. Opes Partners Economist, Ed McKnight walked us through international research that shows why Christchurch is a Magnet City and the part Aerospace plays within this. Ed has written for JUNO Investing magazine, Property Investor Mag, Stuff and Newshub.
The Development Of A Space Academy In New Zealand
Miranda Satterthwaite, Education Manager, International Antarctic Center (IAC)
Miranda, the Education Manager at the IAC, spoke about the development of the Antarctic Academy and the Mission to Space programmes. Miranda trained in STEM education through a range of NASA bases in the USA, and she has participated in two NASA Sofia Missions.
Tailoring Pilot-Vehicle Interfaces (PVI) To Unique Air Vehicle Needs
Paco Uybarreta, Principal Experimental Test Pilot, PACO
Paco is a Category 1 Experimental Test Pilot who discussed his past and current projects to suitably design and test human pilot-aerial vehicle interfaces for various missions and developing flight applications. Paco talked about the challenges that lie in appropriately integrating evolving and mixed technologies for legacy, novel, and hybrid use cases in the aerospace sector.
The City’s Role In Developing And Growing Our Aerospace Industry
Liz Eden, Business Attraction Manager, ChristchurchNZ
Liz is responsible for the city’s business attraction strategy acting as a conduit between big businesses, the city and central government. Liz discussed the city’s Aerospace and Future Transport Supernode and projects within industry and government to develop future industry for Christchurch.
Dawn Aerospace: Space Transportation For A Sustainable Future
Stefan Powell, CTO and Co-Founder, Dawn Aerospace
Stefan talked about the space industry being poised to grow from a $500 billion, to a multi-trillion dollar industry in the next two decades. If we are to do this, we need sustainable and massively scalable space transportation. Stefan discussed how Dawn Aerospace is taking the first practical steps toward making this dream a reality with non-toxic satellite propulsion and the first-ever space vehicles designed to be used like commercial aircraft.
A special thank you to our Gold Event Sponsor OPES Partners, venue sponsor Ara Institute of Canterbury and support by ChristchurchNZ.
