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New Zealand’s Defence Force (NZDF) has increasingly found itself at the forefront of international space and satellite monitoring initiatives, reflecting the growing importance of digital technology in global defence strategies. This emerging role, emphasising technological advancement in satellite tracking and data management, represents a critical shift in the country’s strategic defence posture.
The NZDF’s collaboration with the United States, Australia, and Japan highlights New Zealand’s integration into a digitally driven defence network. Training the Japanese military to monitor satellites is a testament to the expanding role of digital technology in space operations. With the recent establishment of a non-classified satellite monitoring hub in Auckland, the country is positioning itself as a critical player in the global space domain awareness ecosystem. This collaboration underscores the importance of digital infrastructure and data in defence operations.
The Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) hub, led by New Zealand, now includes Japan, Australia, and the United States. This hub monitors satellite activities, including potential hazards such as space debris or the movements of foreign satellites. The data gathered from these operations are shared among hundreds of civilian and military organisations to ensure space security.
This reliance on digital tools for space monitoring reflects the growing intersection between defence operations and cutting-edge digital technology. The JCO hub’s success has showcased digital platforms’ capabilities in maintaining space domain awareness and safeguarding assets in orbit.
Further, Japan has recently established a space operation, which, while modest in size, is at the forefront of using digital technology to monitor “suspicious satellites” and space activities. Japan’s use of digital technology in space monitoring aligns with global trends. The country is now exploring options for launching satellites from New Zealand, including from a software company for satellite launch in New Zealand and the potential site at a spaceport site in the South Island.
The integration of digital technology into these launches would be significant. A software company, already a leader in digital-based launch services, uses sophisticated software and digital infrastructure to ensure precision and success in each mission. Including a spaceport site as a possible launch site would extend New Zealand’s role in the space industry, making it a hub for digital space monitoring and launch services.
New Zealand’s growing involvement in global space defence initiatives is part of a broader trend of countries adopting digital technology for national security. The JCO hubs are an excellent example of how digital infrastructure can be used to monitor and track objects in space. These hubs, created by the U.S. Department of Defense, use cutting-edge digital platforms to report on both civilian and military movements, detect problems or threats from satellites, and share this data with organisations worldwide. This information is crucial for advancing national security objectives, particularly in an era where space is becoming increasingly contested.
Establishing the NZDF Space Operations Centre is another step toward cementing New Zealand’s role as a digital leader in space monitoring. Recently, this centre took the lead during a U.S.-led multinational exercise, monitoring the replacement of a communications satellite by an adversary satellite. Digital tools for this mission illustrate the increasing reliance on sophisticated software and data analytics in defence operations.
