Otago Daily Times

CSST modifies plan for sharper focus

- PAM JONES pam.jones@odt.co.nz

A REVISED business plan has been approved for the Centre for Space Science Technology (CSST), while other milestones have also been achieved, CSST leaders say.

They included business developmen­ts and an airborne ‘‘celestial’’ experience for CSST chief executive Steve Cotter and director research Dr Delwyn Moller, a CSST statement said.

Mr Cotter and Dr Moller were invited on board Nasa’s ‘‘Sofia’’ flying observator­y in June and witnessed space observatio­ns ‘‘from a whole new perspec tive’’, the statement said.

Sofia stands for Stratosphe­ric Observator­y for Infrared Astronomy, and consists of a Boeing 747SP aircraft, modified to carry a 2.5m, 17tonne telescope to altitudes of 1214km, above the terrestria­l water vapour layer.

Sofia uses Christchur­ch as its base eight weeks a year.

Mr Cotter said CSST had just had its revised Business and Research Plan approved by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

He had said earlier this year a remodellin­g of CSST was necessary to make it viable and it was standard practice to revisit busi ness cases as proposals were turned into reality.

Some changes announced in March were a reduction in staff numbers and a decision not to open three of four possible offices for the organisati­on. CSST is based in Alexandra. Mr Cotter said the new business plan better positioned CSST within ‘‘the rapidlyevo­lving Earth observatio­n (EO) market’’.

‘‘The original plan provided guidance for the first year while we conducted market research and spoke to key actors in the New Zealand and internatio­nal space sectors. The revised plan will see us focusing our skills and expertise on the full cycle of EO data, from designing sensor technology through to delivering perspectiv­eshifting insights to businesses, industry, government and the broader research community.’’

CSST, in partnershi­p with the Crown Research Institute Scion (NZ Forest Research Institute Limited), developed and submitted a proposal for Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The proposal is to use satellite data to assess the level and progress of seasonal curing of New Zealand’s millions of hectares of grasslands, in terms of monitoring the risk of wildfires.

This would indicate to emergency services the probabilit­y of a fire spreading to a wide area, greater than 40ha, providing ‘‘daily fire risk maps’’ similar to those already used in the United States and Australia.

CSST has also recently partnered with San Francisco firm Planet, which operates the world’s largest fleet of Earthimagi­ng satellites, in the hope of enhancing New Zealand’s use of EO imagery.

CSST will now be Planet’s distributi­on hub in New Zealand.

 ?? PHOTO: US EMBASSY IN NEW ZEALAND ?? Celestial viewing . . . CSST director of research Dr Delwyn Moller (third from left) and chief executive Steve Cotter (far right) join other guests on Nasa’s recent ‘‘Sofia’’ flight, standing in front of the onboard telescope used for scientific observatio­ns.
PHOTO: US EMBASSY IN NEW ZEALAND Celestial viewing . . . CSST director of research Dr Delwyn Moller (third from left) and chief executive Steve Cotter (far right) join other guests on Nasa’s recent ‘‘Sofia’’ flight, standing in front of the onboard telescope used for scientific observatio­ns.

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