Aerospace Christchurch Meet Up #14: Christchurch Taking Flight!

Our next meet up “Christchurch Taking Flight” is brought to you by our Gold Sponsor OPES Partners.

Note that if we’re still in Level 2 on September 29th, then we’ll only have 90 seats available for the public. Preference will be given to Aerospace Christchurch Associates and then the earlier Eventbrite bookings, so get in quick.

For people that can’t make it to the event, we will be offering a live webinar, so please register for that and select the Online Ticket option under ticket type.

Planned Presentations:

Christchurch As A ‘Magnet City’

Ed McKnight, Economist, OPES Partners 

Canterbury is ideally suited as a hub for the aerospace industry. In this talk, Opes Partners Economist, Ed McKnight will walk 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, directs the development of the Antarctic Academy and the Mission to Space programmes. Previously running engineering recruitment programmes for both Ara Institute of Canterbury, including the Mission to Mars programme, and for University of Canterbury College of Engineering. Miranda trained in STEM education through a range of NASA bases in the USA, and she has participated in two NASA Sofia Missions. She is passionate about filling the New Zealand pipeline into Aerospace to support the growing space economy.

Tailoring Pilot-Vehicle Interfaces (PVI) To Unique Air Vehicle Needs

Paco Uybarreta, Principal Experimental Test Pilot, PACO

Paco Uybarreta is a Category 1 Experimental Test Pilot who will discuss past and current projects to suitably design and test human pilot-aerial vehicle interfaces for various missions and developing flight applications.  The challenges 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 Eden is responsible for the city’s business attraction strategy acting as a conduit between big businesses, the city and central government.  Liz also holds responsibility for the city’s Aerospace and Future Transport Supernode and works with 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

Space is 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. 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.  Stefan Powell, CTO and Co-Founder of Dawn Aerospace, will share his vision for the future and current progress.

Hope to see you at the event!

Aerospace Christchurch