Dawn Aerospace: New Partnerships and NZ Top 100

Dawn Aerospace continues to go from strength to strength as they announce they have been selected to support a microsat mission. The New Zealand-based company was chosen by Blue Canyon Technologies to provide turnkey propulsion systems for Blue Canyon’s X-SAT Saturn bus. Dawn Aerospace will provide thrusters, tanks, control electronics, and full-service support in logistics and propellant loading for the microsat.  

Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It also provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully travelled to Mars. CEO of the US-based Blue Canyon Technologies, Stephen Steg, commented on Dawn Aerospace’s capabilities. 

"We are moving fast, and we need suppliers that can match our cadence and quality,” Mr Steg said. "The in-space-heritage, creative thinking and solutions-focused approach we've seen from Dawn give us great confidence in their ability to deliver."

Dawn Aerospace, as a space transportation company focusing on sustainable space travel, is recognised as one of the best high-growth start-ups in Aotearoa. Dawn Aerospace has been listed in the Matchstiq Top 100 of 2022 – a list of high-growth start-ups and tech companies to work for in New Zealand. One of the criteria is that the company must be building an innovative product that is disrupting a globalised industry. 

Dawn Aerospace CEO and co-founder Stefan Powell says the company’s inclusion on the Matchstiq Top 100 of 2022 list reflected its achievements and the people who made them possible. “Every day, we’re delivering innovative, high-quality space technology, and our people are central to this. We pride ourselves on being a place for everyone to thrive, so to be listed as a top tech company to work for, is a wonderful recognition of what we have been doing,” he said.

Dawn Aerospace recently announced it has been contracted to produce more than 100 thrusters for clients across the US, Europe, Japan, India, and Indonesia. The company also holds contracts for a series of satellite constellations, including the Indonesian Space Agency’s (LAPAN) early-tsunami warning constellation. 

“Through a modular approach, we use standardised components and production processes, including additive manufacturing, to provide custom turnkey systems in a fraction of the time and cost of our competition," Dawn Aerospace co-founder, and Chief Revenue Officer Jeroen Wink said. "We typically deliver the first batch of flight units within 12 months, then six months or less for recurring units thereafter."

"We are investing heavily in our people and facilities," Wink said. "With substantial flight heritage now under our belt on multiple missions, we are scaling to meet demand."

Dawn Aerospace is a stellar example of the increasing growth and competitiveness of the New Zealand space and technology industries.  

“The ambition in the New Zealand tech ecosystem is something everyone should get excited about,” said Matchstiq Top 100 Co-founder Greg Denton. We have companies like Dawn Aerospace making international headlines with their ambition to make space transportation more sustainable. How cool is that?”