Priyanka Dhopade

GREAT IDEA! 💡

Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) coastal landscape at dusk with full moon. The moon rises above the mountains across the harbour.

Exterior of Te Ara Whānui ki te Rangi / Space Place at Carter Observatory. The white domed planetarium with a deep blue banner reading “Space Place at Carter Observatory, Travel the southern skies.

The in-person group for Te Wānanga o Hina at Space Place, sitting on the grass outside Space Place on a sunny day.

Inside the planetarium, the Te Wānanga o Hina group smiling and waving on the seats beneath the dome, lit by blue light.

On Nov 8, we met at Space Place and online to plant seeds for Te Wānanga o Hina, a gathering for lunar futures across Aotearoa, Australia, Vanuatu, Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. An event in collaboration with Taipōrutu (Māhia), AELA, Te Herenga Waka–VUW & @astroecologies.bsky.social.
hinawananga.nz
1/12

'Pitiful' decision on emissions targets will cost the country, former climate commissioner says Critics say the government has placed short-term economic growth ahead of the long-term consequences.

I'm late to this - not unexpected but baffled by the reasoning which seems to disregard cost of inaction.
"In its formal reasons for rejecting the commission's advice, the government said it had weighed the benefits of climate action against the economic costs.
share.google/xpGmoYeggZtP...

Exciting day today. Not only is it Halloween, but my crowdfunding campaign is also live! Please support me by making a pledge and/or sharing on all your socials and with your friends, family, and colleagues. Thanks to everyone offering rewards. You rock! www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

Communication, Cooperation and Collaboration in Space Why these words matter

To replace the self-fulfilling prophecy that space is “congested, contested and competitive”, we need a new mantra, one that offers solutions: “Communication, cooperation and collaboration”. Check out my Substack this week and say the mantra with me. open.substack.com/pub/spacecit...

Oh that would be amazing! 🚀👩🏼‍🚀🌱

Book cover of How a Rocket Works in association with the UK Space Agency

Other astronauts living in space: one fixing a leak on the international space station and another growing plants in space

Reading this with my 7-month-old 🚀
Told him the astronaut growing plants in space was @sakessans.bsky.social 👩🏼‍🚀

Hey folks - if you missed it at the Writer's Festival #TheCovidResponse is heading back to Auckland. Join Toby Manhire, @siouxsiew.bsky.social and me to hear about the book and what the future holds at Auckland Uni on August 25 from 6pm (doors open at 5.30) www.bwb.co.nz/events/the-c...

Happy International Moon Day! 🌕👩🏼‍🚀

📸 taken with my 🔭

Spaceportopia now officially has a Wikipedia page! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacepo...

P.s. If you haven't read "Astrotopia" by Mary-Jane Rubenstein, I highly recommend it.

Sustainability within Aotearoa New Zealand’s aerospace sector: current state and implications for the future Aotearoa New Zealand's rapidly growing aerospace sector is still in its infancy, which presents us with the unique opportunity to incorporate sustainability as a key performance parameter from the ...

Their comments arise from our latest findings on Aotearoa NZ's aerospace sector and sustainability with @sarahhbickerton.bsky.social & team: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

What went wrong with MethaneSat – and who should answer for it? New Zealand’s first publicly funded space mission has ended with a lost satellite and a debate about how we spend our money in space.<br />

Our members @drpriaero.bsky.social and @catherineq.bsky.social quoted in @thespinoff.bsky.social on NZ's MethaneSat involvement:

thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin...

Read the latest paper on successful launch site planning co-authored by our lead @drpriaero.bsky.social

🗞 csps.aerospace.org/papers/space...

8/
🔗 Read the full paper here: csps.aerospace.org/papers/space...
📍Published by the Center for Space Policy & Strategy @ Aerospace Corporation

With support from:
Sustainable Space Initiative @ University of Auckland

#spaceports #spacesustainability #spacestrategy #AotearoaInSpace

7/
✅ Looking offshore?
Floating launch/landing platforms could relieve land-use pressures — but they come with serious engineering & cost challenges.

6/
✅ Spaceports don’t succeed in isolation.
They need ecosystems:
⚙️ Supporting infrastructure
👩‍🔬 Talent pipelines
📜 Regulation
🤝 Public-private partnerships
(NZ is doing some things right here!)

5/
✅ Trust is key.
Opaque processes & poor consultation — especially with Indigenous communities — can derail projects before they launch.

4/
✅ Not all spaceports deliver promised benefits.
Our US & NZ case studies show failed projections, financial shortfalls & community opposition where stakeholder engagement was weak.

3/
✅ Forecasting launch demand is tricky.
Satellite filings often overestimate demand — only a fraction of proposed satellites actually make it to orbit.

2/
✅ Spaceport ambitions must be grounded in practical realities.
Launch sites should balance space aspirations with regional economic, environmental & social needs.

1/
Successful spaceports need to work not just for rockets — but for people and places, too.
🚀🌏
Excited to share our latest paper on spaceport site selection, co-authored with the brilliant Karen L. Jones & Dr. Lindsay DeMarchi @ Aerospace Corporation + expert contributors from across the sector.
🧵👇

Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery npj Climate and Atmospheric Science - Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery

New paper day! In 'Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery', we show that scaling up use of launch vehicles 🚀 has a point where the healing of the ozone layer is affected 🧪🛰️
Open access, free to read & share

New Zealand government sued over ‘dangerously inadequate’ emissions reduction plan Exclusive: In the first legal challenge to the plan, top climate lawyers claim the government relies too heavily on forestry and failed to consult the public

Exclusive: New Zealand government sued over ‘dangerously inadequate’ emissions reduction plan
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

This was such an interesting project to supervise and I got to work with the best student 😊 Can't wait to see this work published soon. 🛰🚀🌏

YouTube video by University of Auckland - Website video repository Impact stories | Creating research impact with Dr Priyanka Dhopa

Why should NZ care about space sustainability? Our research lead @drpriaero.bsky.social introduces our work in this research impact video commissioned by Uni of Auckland.

youtu.be/gnI8x2UUR1Q?...

Thank you 😘 Sleep is scarce but we're working on it.

Women holding baby while smiling.

The start of a new adventure! With our newest crew member of Spaceship Earth, William, who landed on 28th January 2025 🥳

Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Justin Tipa Hui Whakaū I Te Tiriti ki Ōnuku Waitangi Day 2025 Commemoration Speech

From Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Justin Tipa's powerful Waitangi speech: 'When there’s an absence of true leadership, voices that represent comparatively simpler and shallower viewpoints, begin to shine through.'
ngaitahu.iwi.nz/connect-2/co...

Powerful oral submissions opposing the Treaty Principles Bill this morning - listen live: www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

(Don’t want to share the photo of Seymour feat. on the RNZ link... so here's a 2017 kōrero w. Moana Jackson on constitutional transformation www.converge.org.nz/pma/mjdec201...)

The intersection of space and sustainability: the need for a transdisciplinary and bi-cultural approach C. Varughese, L. Henry, A. Morris, S.H. Bickerton, N. Rattenbury, C. Mankelow, A. Gorman, S. Katavich-Barton, P. Dhopade. Acta Astronautica, 2023

Spotlight on our recent analysis: "The intersection of space and sustainability: the need for a transdisciplinary and bi-cultural approach"

Space sustainability is a complex issue, & as we watch burning rocket bodies light up the sky, space debris mitigation tends to dominate the discussion. [1/9]