2025 Prime Minister’s Space Prizes

Stefan Powell, the Co-Founder and CEO of Dawn Aerospace, which manufactures and exports sustainable propulsion systems and is developing reusable spacecraft, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Professional Excellence, which comes with NZ$100,000.

Dawn Aerospace manufactures and exports sustainable propulsion systems used on more than 40 satellites, and is developing the supersonic Aurora spaceplane – the world’s first reusable spacecraft. The company has achieved contracts exceeding NZ$100 million, creating high-value jobs for highly skilled engineers, driving economic growth, and reinforcing New Zealand’s reputation as a serious player in commercial space transportation.

The company’s green propellant technology reduces environmental hazards traditionally associated with hydrazine fuels, while its reusable launch platform promises to dramatically lower launch costs and emissions.

“Our dream for the future is that Dawn Aerospace becomes the transportation infrastructure backbone of space.
That's getting to space, but also moving around in space”
– Stefan Powell.

In awarding this prize, the judges said Dawn Aerospace represents one of the most transformative developments in New Zealand’s aerospace story. Stefan demonstrates excellent leadership and a strong vision that is allowing the Dawn Aerospace to achieve remarkable results that are international in scope.

Read more about Stefan's win >.

Sophie Ineson, a Year 12 student from Southland Girls’ High School, has won the Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Student Endeavour, worth NZ$50,000 for tertiary study, for her project to design better wound care for astronauts.

Wounds heal slower in space due to microgravity, which reduces the rate that tissues repair themselves, increasing the risk of infection. Sophie designed new hydrogel dressings to encourage healing and prevent infection in the context of microgravity, low pressure, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and lunar dust, incorporating natural materials from Southland to aid healing.

She designed these dressings with spaceflight in mind, ensuring they could be applied while wearing gloves in microgravity, would last for a long period of time, and not create a lot of waste, due to payload limits.

“Regolith is a fine lunar dust which can pose serious challenges if it gets into wounds.
I believe that my wound dressing can help combat that issue for astronauts” 
– Sophie Ineson.

In awarding Sophie this prize, the judging panel was impressed by the methodology that Sophie developed and the amount of testing she did. They said her project was a solid proof-of-concept with real potential for both space missions and healthcare on Earth.

Read more about Sophie's win >

Both Prizes were presented by Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, at a special event at Parliament this evening.  The Minister for Space, Hon Judith Collins KC, who announced the Government’s creation of these two Prizes in 2024, also attended the event to congratulate the winners.

The Prime Minister’s Space Prizes were established to recognise the talented people working in New Zealand’s space and advanced aviation sector, and to inspire the next generation of innovative, talented people to become interested in and pursue careers in space.

Both Prizes are supported by the New Zealand Government with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The Royal Society Te Apārangi administers the prizes.

View more about the Prime Minister's Space Prizes: pmspaceprizes.org.nz