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Christchurch company Kea Aerospace has this week secured Government funding for a three-year partnership with NASA, following the success of a feasibility study last year.  The project will look to improve methods to monitor water quality around New Zealand’s coastline using a sophisticated camera system provided by the NASA Ames Research Center.

A state-of-the-art NASA camera will begin testing water quality in key Canterbury sites this summer, thanks to a partnership between the US space agency and Christchurch company Kea Aerospace.

NASA’s camera will be mounted to Kea Aerospace’s Kea Atmos Mk1 – a solar aircraft that flies in the stratosphere with a wingspan of 12.5 metres.

The Kea Atmos Mk1, which reached an altitude of 56,000 feet in February, is approximately half the size of the upcoming Kea Atmos Mk2. Currently in the design phase, the Kea Atmos Mk2 is being developed for perpetual flight—able to harness solar energy while airborne and stay aloft for months without needing to land.

NASA’s camera uses hyperspectral optical camera technology that breaks down light into many bands. Using these bands, information can be retrieved about coastal water systems, including sediment loading and transport, phytoplankton activity, habitat mapping and general ecological health.

“Our partnership with NASA is a meeting of two world-leading technologies.” Kea Aerospace CEO Mark Rocket says.

“There’s our Kea Atmos Mk1 in one hand, with NASA’s camera in the other hand. Together, we’re going to be able to deliver live water quality monitoring with an accuracy three times better than any existing satellite technology, and for a fraction of the cost.”

“Our flight missions will collect insightful information that could become a new benchmark for data quality in Earth Observation. Beyond water monitoring, our technology could be applied to maritime awareness, agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, telecommunications, and disaster response efforts.”

The main advantage Kea Aerospace’s technology has over satellites is that the quality and resolution of data captured is much higher.

“With the ability of this aircraft to remain airborne in one place, there’s an element of real-time observation and persistence that satellites just cannot achieve” says Kea Aerospace Chief Scientist Dr Dan Price.

“Satellites struggle to capture high-resolution information because they’re orbiting far from the Earth’s surface. Conversely, in the stratosphere, we’re twenty times closer to the ground.”

“Our partnership with NASA presents a prime opportunity for coastal water quality assessment. Unfortunately, the region suffers from some of the poorest water quality in New Zealand, and this project will give us a great case study for us to test this technology.”

“With water quality a hot topic in New Zealand, we hope this technology can help put more facts on the table.” Rocket adds.

Julian Phillips, Head of Whenua Planning and Rejuvenation at Tāwhaki, says, “The involvement of Tāwhaki ensures that mātauranga Māori remains central to how we care for our lakes and coastal waters. By combining this intergenerational knowledge with cutting-edge aerospace technology from Kea Aerospace and NASA, we’re unlocking powerful new tools for environmental monitoring. This project enhances our ability to make informed, locally grounded decisions, but also demonstrates how aerospace innovation can play a vital role in environmental stewardship. It’s a bold step forward—where ancestral wisdom and modern science work in tandem to protect and restore the ecosystems we depend on.”

The project commenced in June and is co-funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and NASA. Kea Aerospace hopes to complete test flights with NASA counterparts during the coming summer months. Other project partners include NIWA and Environment Canterbury.

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View the New Zealand and NASA Launch Earth Observation Partnership announcement from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.