A leading physics professor is calling for the Auditor-General to investigate the situation surrounding a taxpayer-funded satellite lost in space, with documents suggesting conflicting information was provided to the minister and the media.
The Government has put almost $30 million towards MethaneSAT, which lost contact with the ground in June and is believed to be unrecoverable.
New Zealand joined the MethaneSAT mission - a collaboration with the US-based Environmental Defense Fund - in 2019, hoping to boost science, track farm emissions and grow our space sector.
The mission faced delays, first to its launch date and then to the arrival of its promised data about global methane emissions.
A briefing document from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to the Space Minister, Judith Collins, for the week ending 10 October 2024 - released to Newstalk ZB under the Official Information Act - states Rocket Lab staff “have had to work hard to manage” an issue, although the details of the issue are redacted.
The briefing states “this has increased the requirements for time on console [as opposed to simply being on call]” and “Rocket Lab has been testing an automated system to reduce reliance on manual intervention”.
Another briefing document a couple of weeks later states, “to date, Rocket Lab’s automation to recover from persistent data recorder resets has been working”.
“Work is also underway to deploy a software patch from Blue Canyon Technologies, the satellite bus provider, to prevent these resets from occurring altogether. We may know by the end of the week if this has been successful.
“If the solutions discussed above are successful, currently planned staffing levels may be sufficient.”
In an email to RNZ on October 4, 2024, MethaneSAT stated “there are no issues with the satellite or its data collection performance”.
University of Auckland Professor of Physics Richard Easther said the mission had clear issues, which they were working to fix at the same time they told RNZ there were no issues.
He told Newstalk ZB, “It is widely suspected in the science community that MethaneSAT had not been fully honest in its media statements, but the ministerial briefings look like a smoking gun”.
Easther said MBIE always avoided giving a direct answer when asked if they backed the MethaneSAT statements.
He believes there is a case for the Auditor-General to investigate the incident as he thinks MBIE’s report into MethaneSAT isn’t enough.
“There is big contrast between that document and the Navy’s report on the loss of the Manawanui, or the IPCA report on the McSkimming fiasco.
“These are both very blunt but can also be the start of restoring confidence in the organisations involved.”
New Zealand Space Agency deputy head Andrew Johnson said it was satisfied MethaneSAT LLC has been truthful and transparent.
“In a complex mission involving multiple partners there will always be differing technical views, and this was the case in this mission. Ultimately, the mission owner must decide the overall position.”
Johnson said the MBIE report into New Zealand’s investment in the MethaneSAT mission highlighted key lessons for future space investments, including governance, contractual arrangements, and communication with the public.
The report found there was nothing MBIE could have done that would have changed the outcome of the mission, but it could have communicated more clearly, Johnson said.
“Redacted OIA responses and limited visibility into operational discussions and challenges undermined public confidence.”
It recommends strengthening contractual leverage, ensuring direct relationships between key technical partners, and investing more in governance management.
Rocket Lab declined to comment.
MethaneSAT LLC has been approached for comment.
Lachlan Rennie is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist for Newstalk ZB covering science, Defence, technology, community issues and general news.
He previously studied journalism at the New Zealand Broadcasting School before joining NZME in 2024.