Latest images and videos
Space images and content relevant to New Zealand and our burgeoning space industry.
On this page
21 September 2020 | Xerra Earth observation images
These dramatic images are landscapes of our own Aotearoa New Zealand from space in beautiful clarity, provided by Xerra Earth Observation.
Images like these – not just in the visible spectrum but also in ultraviolet, infrared, and other wavelengths of light – help scientists study changes to the land and life on it, helping everyone to take more informed actions every day.
Scientists can use satellite images (like this one from San Francisco-based company Planet’s cubesat) to monitor how much sediment is flowing from the Rakaia river into the Canterbury Bight, providing insight into rainfall, flooding and land-use practices in the catchment area.
Photo credit: @Xerra_EO
In this true-colour image of Mount Taranaki, we can see clearly the sharp boundary of Egmont National Park. The original high-resolution image, obtained with one of the French SPOT satellites, can help scientists to monitor vegetation changes.
Photo credit: @Xerra_EO
A false-colour mix covering Mount Taranaki made using imagery obtained by the US Geological Survey's Landsat-8 satellite. This mix employs some near-infrared data, resulting in the grass looking unnaturally green while the snow on the peak appears turquoise.
Photo credit: @Xerra_EO
In this enhanced, false-colour image of Lake Tekapo from Airbus satellites, the high reflectivity of plants in near-infrared (outside the visible spectrum) shows up as red. The light blue area shows sediments flowing into the lake before sinking.
Photo credit: @Xerra_EO
This true-colour image of Auckland comes from one of over 200 cubesats operated by the San Francisco-based company Planet. Each satellite is about 30 cm long, and they map the surface of the Earth daily.
Photo credit: @Xerra_EO
24 July 2019 | Pilot tool to track satellites launched from New Zealand
Watch a visualisation of the Space Regulatory and Sustainability Platform pilot in action. This tool has been designed by LeoLabs for MBIE’s New Zealand Space Agency, allowing the agency to see real-time information on the orbital position of satellites launched from New Zealand.
Video Transcript
5 May 2019 | Rocket Lab’s first night launch
Photo credit: Canaan Akuhata-Brown | Cinema East
A local photographer, Canaan Akuhata-Brown of Cinema East, captured the shot of a lifetime with this stunning photo of Rocket Lab’s first night launch. This was their sixth mission from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, Gisborne.