95bFM Concerns raised over the United States’ interest in increasing rocket launches from the Māhia Peninsula
18 May, 2025
Interview by Max Micheel, adapted by Alyssa Ramos
Peace Action Wellington’s Valerie Morse says the US wanting to boost rocket launches from the Māhia Peninsula goes against the “peaceful use of space”.
The United States has indicated its interest in increasing rocket launches from the Māhia Peninsula in Hawke’s Bay.
Rocket Lab; a US space company that provides launch pads, has had a launch pad on the Māhia Peninsula since 2016. However, launches for the Pentagon and the US space agency, NRO, have only been for experimental purposes.
Rocket Lab specialises in low earth orbit satellites, which aligns closely with the US’ interest in expanding satellite operations into the Pacific Region.
This expansion would include launching missiles involved in nuclear command-and-control-comms.
Concerns have been raised about whether this would compromise Aotearoa’s Nuclear Free Act; signed in 1987, and the lack of transparency to what the US is proposing.
Peace Action Wellington’s Valerie Morse told 95bFM’s The Wire that despite the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) being the main authority in approving this potential move, she is concerned about the lack of provided information.
“… the U.S. Department of Defense says ‘actually, all that information is classified. We're not going to tell you, but what we can tell you is it's a matter of national security.’”
“… so we don't have a lot of confidence that New Zealand's national security is being considered in those space launches.”
She says so far the MBIE has not denied a single application.
Morse adds that a lot of what is being driven is a part of the “agenda” of one of the largest weapons manufacturers Lockheed Martin; a major investor in Rocket Labs.
“A lot of these programs are really closely tied to military operations and active operations in terms of surveillance and targeting information.”
She is concerned about what this means for Aotearoa.
“There's a real concern that New Zealand could be easily a participant, essentially, in US wars about which we've had no public discussion, and essentially, our land; our whenua, being used for those kinds of launches.”
Morse says Peace Action Wellington hopes to keep “space for peace”.
“On a fundamental level, we have an international treaty to uphold the peaceful uses of space.”
“Frankly, we do not think that launching military satellites, surveillance satellites, satellites that can be used for targeting, are peaceful uses of space.”
