Christchurch Rocketeers

- Mark Rocket - CEO Kea Aerospace - President Aerospace New Zealand

Mark Rocket was the seed investor and Co-Director of Rocket Lab from 2007 to 2011. He is the CEO of Kea Aerospace, a company developing solar-powered UAVs designed to operate in the stratosphere, capturing high-resolution aerial imagery for applications such as environmental monitoring, disaster response, and maritime awareness. Mark is the President of Aerospace New Zealand, an industry body dedicated to advancing and expanding the country’s aerospace sector, and was also the first Kiwi to book a space flight.

- Sarah Kessans - Associate Professor - University of Canterbury
Off the Earth, for the Earth: Aotearoa New Zealand's role in science in space

Dr Sarah Kessans is an Associate Professor in the School of Product Design at the University of Canterbury. Sarah is leading research programmes which combine both aerospace and biology. In 2017, Sarah was selected as one of 50 Finalist Interviewees (out of 18,000+ applications) in NASA's Astronaut Candidate selection process. Using the perspectives and connections gained during the selection process, Sarah has established programmes for New Zealand scientists to use the unique microgravity environments of space stations for research. In 2024, Sarah's team launched New Zealand's first mission to the International Space Station to test a prototype of a facility to study protein crystallisation in microgravity, which will be used by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Insights from the mission and the facilities Sarah's team is building will help develop more effective medicines and vaccines among other applications. Sarah's talk will give an overview how the science that her teams and teams around the world are conducting can help expand opportunities for space exploration while benefiting life on Earth.
 

- Karina Leppik - Astronomy from unusual places

Astronomy from unusual places

Karina Leppik is an astronomer, and has worked at telescopes located on mountaintops, Antarctica, and even airplanes.  She will share some of her experiences with telescopes at the South Pole, and onboard NASA’s airborne observatory, SOFIA.

- Prospero 'Paco' Uybarreta - Principal Experimental Test Pilot/Director 
Paco has been a professional pilot for 26 years.  He was a U.S. Air Force officer for 14 years, flying jets as an operational combat pilot, flight instructor, experimental test pilot.  After the active-duty military, he has worked as an experimental test pilot for eight different aerospace companies around the world.  He has logged over 5,300 flight hours in 64 different manned aircraft, including 21 different jets such as the T-38, X-62, F-15, U-2, MiG-15, and Airbus 220.  A 2009 graduate of the elite USAF Test Pilot School, Paco earned his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University in 1998, three Master’s degrees in engineering, aeronautics, and business, and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UC

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 - Athrun Willoughby-Martin - Student Mentor - General Exec CHC Rocketeers
Athrun holds the record as the youngest male in the world to hold his Level 1 & Level 2 high-Power Rocketry certifications, having gained them at Age 11 with the New Zealand Rocketry Association. he also acts as a student mentor for children and students interested in taking part in Hobby/Amateur rocketry.

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