Seven exceptional students score Space Scholarships

Published: 05 June 2025

Seven exceptional university students have earned New Zealand Space Scholarships and will intern at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

During their 3-month internship programme at JPL they’ll work alongside scientists and engineers who are part of world-leading NASA missions.

Their experience at JPL will not only support their studies, it will also provide real-world skills to start exciting careers in New Zealand’s fast-growing space industry.

The students received their scholarships at a ceremony in Parliament today.

Congratulations to:

  • Asif Rasha (Auckland University of Technology)
  • Felix Goddard (University of Canterbury)
  • Jack Patterson (University of Canterbury)
  • Mark Bishop (Victoria University of Wellington)
  • Shivam Desai (University of Auckland)
  • Sofie Claridge (Victoria University of Wellington)
  • Taran John (Victoria University of Wellington).

Space and advanced aviation are growing sectors in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Space Scholarships support the development of a workforce that is skilled, innovative, and meets the capability and capacity needs of the space and advanced aviation sectors.

Read more about the students and what they’ll be working on:

New Zealand Space Scholarship

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