Launched in 2016, the Auckland Programme for Space Systems (APSS) is designed for undergraduate students of all fields of study at the University of Auckland to collaborate towards reach a common goal – contributing broadly towards the field of space research.
Each year, undergraduate students are invited to form teams, work together to identify a societal need, and design a solution using a small spacecraft. Students from all faculties are invited to participate – no experience in engineering is necessary. Upon completion, the satellite will be launched into space by an orbital provider.
Satellites and space technology live in a foreign environment, acting as ideal proxies for complex learning. Beyond providing a pipeline of future talent for New Zealand’s booming space industry, we believe in providing skills that can relate to virtually every field of modern human endeavour. We hope to educate and inspire a new culture of collaboration, and empower future generations to boldly solve challenging problems, create new knowledge, be creative, and to critically think about their place in society.
Our story so far
With input from researchers from the Faculties of Engineering and Science, the programme is running in tandem with recent achievements in New Zealand’s government and industry. We are proud to see our APSS students critically engage with relevant social, economic, and technological challenges. Our 2017 team for example, focused their mission on space-based earthquake prediction and in 2020 launched New Zealand’s first student-built satellite.
Over 500 students have been involved in APSS so far, and we’re seeing – and hope to see – more representation across disciplines every semester. Between the core Mission Proposal Competition, picosatellite and CubeSat programmes, and entrepreneurship opportunities, we have generated plenty of interest, dedicated student clubs and projects, and publicity. Several startups have formed around APSS and have raised a cumulative amount of more than $20 million NZD as well as employing many prior APSS members. Read more about them here.
Beyond all this, APSS also notably kickstarted our University’s public involvement in space research. This undergraduate programme has developed into an avenue to bring together student and academic expertise with a common general research, opening up opportunities for longer-term postgraduate and advanced-level research.
We were also recently featured in the New Zealand Space Agency’s video. Find out more about this MBIE initiative.