For folk interested in international perspectives on SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence): a presentation from @gabriela-radulescu.bsky.social on Armenia & the former Czechoslovakia combining science, politics & ancient cultural–astronomical traditions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=059T...

Our members @drpriaero.bsky.social and @catherineq.bsky.social quoted in @thespinoff.bsky.social on NZ's MethaneSat involvement: thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin...

Read the latest paper on successful launch site planning co-authored by our lead @drpriaero.bsky.social 🗞 csps.aerospace.org/papers/space...

8/ 🔗 Read the full paper here: csps.aerospace.org/papers/space... 📍Published by the Center for Space Policy & Strategy @ Aerospace Corporation With support from: Sustainable Space Initiative @ University of Auckland #spaceports #spacesustainability #spacestrategy #AotearoaInSpace

7/ ✅ Looking offshore? Floating launch/landing platforms could relieve land-use pressures — but they come with serious engineering & cost challenges.

6/ ✅ Spaceports don’t succeed in isolation. They need ecosystems: ⚙️ Supporting infrastructure 👩‍🔬 Talent pipelines 📜 Regulation 🤝 Public-private partnerships (NZ is doing some things right here!)

5/ ✅ Trust is key. Opaque processes & poor consultation — especially with Indigenous communities — can derail projects before they launch.

4/ ✅ Not all spaceports deliver promised benefits. Our US & NZ case studies show failed projections, financial shortfalls & community opposition where stakeholder engagement was weak.

3/ ✅ Forecasting launch demand is tricky. Satellite filings often overestimate demand — only a fraction of proposed satellites actually make it to orbit.

2/ ✅ Spaceport ambitions must be grounded in practical realities. Launch sites should balance space aspirations with regional economic, environmental & social needs.

1/ To showcase the breadth of expertise behind the Sustainable Space Initiative (SSI), we’re profiling each of our members 👇 Next up: Dr. @sarahhbickerton.bsky.social — political sociologist, public policy researcher, and cross-disciplinary thinker. 🛰️🌏

1/ To showcase the breadth of expertise behind the Sustainable Space Initiative, we’re profiling each of our members 👇 Meet Dr Adam Morris – a strategic foresight expert helping communities and decision-makers explore not just one future, but many. 🧵

Huge congrats to Ronda Geise on completing her Master’s in Mechanical Engineering @UniAuckland! Her futures-focused research analysed global space strategies for sustainability. Now being submitted to Earth System Governance Journal—well done, Ronda! 🚀🌍 #SpaceSustainability #STEM

Why should NZ care about space sustainability? Our research lead @drpriaero.bsky.social introduces our work in this research impact video commissioned by Uni of Auckland. youtu.be/gnI8x2UUR1Q?...

Spotlight on our recent analysis: "The intersection of space and sustainability: the need for a transdisciplinary and bi-cultural approach" Space sustainability is a complex issue, & as we watch burning rocket bodies light up the sky, space debris mitigation tends to dominate the discussion. [1/9]

Welcome to the Sustainable Space Initiative! We are a multidisciplinary research initiative, formed in 2022, hosted by the University of Auckland. Our work takes a holistic approach to space sustainability across four main areas: systems thinking, policy, public engagement and technical solutions.