The United States and New Zealand held their second bilateral Space Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on March 23 and March 26 to strengthen cooperation in outer space, according to a joint statement released by both governments on Mar. 27.
The dialogue is seen as an important step for both countries as they seek to expand commercial ties, enhance security cooperation, and promote scientific collaboration in the growing field of space activity.
The U.S. delegation was led by Valda Vikmanis, Director of the Office of Space Affairs at the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, along with Eric Desautels from the Bureau of Emerging Threats. The New Zealand delegation was headed by Andrew Johnson from the New Zealand Space Agency. Chris Seed, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, opened the meeting with remarks emphasizing priorities such as strengthening commercial space relations and advancing science partnerships.
A major focus during discussions was on how commercial space activities support economic growth and shared security interests for both nations. Both sides expressed intent to continue working together on areas including launch safety, payload management, innovation in science and technology security measures, military cooperation in space, and managing risks related to ground-based infrastructure.
Participants also discussed opportunities for expanded policy alignment regarding regulatory frameworks for commercial launches, remote sensing operations, situational awareness capabilities, as well as ways to overcome regulatory barriers that may hinder mutual engagement or benefits.
New Zealand’s geographic position was recognized for enabling frequent rocket launches that benefit U.S. industry and government agencies while adding resilience to launch capacity. The United States noted recent legislation passed by New Zealand aimed at regulating ground-based infrastructure used for communications with spacecraft—described as world-first legislation designed to protect national interests.
Additional topics included acknowledgment of New Zealand’s Space Scholarships program—which funds postgraduate internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory—and new joint research projects between NASA centers and New Zealand institutes focusing on Earth observation. Both countries committed themselves to continuing this partnership across existing initiatives while exploring further avenues for bilateral cooperation.
