Space Minister Judith Collins is facing criticism for refusing to comment on the failure of New Zealand’s first taxpayer-funded satellite, MethaneSAT, which lost communication in June after just 15 months in orbit—well short of its intended five-year mission.
Despite initial praise for the $32 million partnership with US-based Environmental Defense Fund, experts say the public was misled about ongoing technical issues, including problematic thrusters and repeated system failures.
Astrophysicist Richard Easther warned officials as early as March that the public was being given a “materially incomplete” picture, while others criticised the lack of transparency and due diligence.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the previous Labour government for the investment, although the satellite launched and failed under the current administration.
Calls for a review have been ignored, with Collins deflecting all inquiries to MBIE, which cited “commercial confidentiality” as limiting its ability to inform taxpayers.
What a waste of bloody money 😡
If this country stopped wasting money on stuff like this no one would be in poverty
Xzacary, we could use a fraction of that money to build some stop bank’s in some of these flood prone area’s for starter’s.
…the public was being given a “materially incomplete” picture, while others criticised the lack of transparency and due diligence.
Nothing has changed with the change from red to blue.
Q: does bribery fall under “commercial confidentiality”?
Well we need to send them all up to find it then, eh.
Sounds like money laundering to me…
It’s literally all they ever do.
1) Create scheme
2) Invent a fake problem to justify the scheme
3) Monetise
4) Get rich and get out
5) Scoff and dismiss all subsequent questions
Space Minister. Yes space indeed in the tax payers wallet. Money that could have been used to help NZ. Anyone voting for this lot or Labour are fools.
I think that this was more than a ‘methane satellite’…perhaps a weapons platform using microwaves and the enhanced x-ray spectrum to kill off the populations in rural areas that were not living near cell towers in urban areas.
Could have even been a 6G satellite for the government to enhance Palantir with…but either way, a waste of money among rising property rates.
Look for fires, flooding, and this…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eX5XFJgOJSk
I think that this was more than a ‘methane satellite’…perhaps a weapons platform using microwaves and the enhanced x-ray spectrum to kill off the populations in rural areas that were not living near cell towers in urban areas.
Could have even been a 6G satellite for the government to enhance Palantir with…but either way, a waste of money among rising property rates.
Look for fires, flooding, and this…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eX5XFJgOJSk
Someone do us all a favour and send all these clown politicians into orbit.
Another corrupt piggy in the trough….
Let’s send rockets to space multiple times to monitor the cow farts that are going to melt the polar caps… Those farming and car driving criminals