52680 (2025). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Space

Written Question

Published date: 23 Nov 2025

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	52680 (2025)
Question asked:	09 Nov 2025
Member asking:	Teanau Tuiono
Portfolio:	Minister for Space
Minister replying:	Hon Judith Collins
Answer received:	17 Nov 2025
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_52680_2025
Document guid:	5289c0eb-d872-495f-9559-95973adac449

52680 (2025). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Space: Does the Minister agree with the statement from the conclusion of the report 'New Zealand’s investment in MethaneSAT Report to the Minister for Space 7 November 2025' 'The technical failure, while disappointing, occurred in components outside of New Zealand’s control and within the bounds of accepted risk in space missions' and if so what liability, if any, will those responsible for those components face?

Hon Judith Collins: Yes. Space is a challenging domain and success is never guaranteed. Responsibility for components does not directly correspond to responsibility for the failure of those components - a failure which cannot be definitively determined as outlined in the anomaly report issued by MethaneSAT LLC.