“New Zealand has joined a NATO programme for faster rocket launches in case satellites get damaged or attacked, as fears about war in space grow and as NASA warns its launchpads are deteriorating.”
“The fledgling STARLIFT programme is part of a push by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation into the Indo-Pacific that has upset China.”
“The Nikkei news agency earlier reported that NATO had invited New Zealand to join STARLIFT, along with Japan, South Korea and Australia. The four make up IP4, or Indo-Pacific Four – a security collective set up in 2022 for coordinating with the US-European alliance.”
” ‘The advancement of Russia’s and China’s military capabilities in space has NATO wary of satellites being interfered with or destroyed,’ Nikkei reported.”
“The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) recently took part in a US-led exercise dubbed Apollo Griffin that US Space Force said developed and rehearsed the command’s first wartime-prioritised target list for space operations. The effort significantly shortened targeting timelines and strengthened joint and allied integration, it said.”
“STARLIFT – part of the practical push – expanded in March to include Canada, beyond its 14 founding members in Europe and the US.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/618806/starlift-draws-in-nz-as-states-seek-rocket-launchpads