Mission to Space Camp NZ & Junior Astronomy Opportunities for Rangatahi
Secondary students keen to step out of the textbook and into a real-world aerospace team can now register for Mission to Space Camp in Ōtautahi Christchurch (December 2026) and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (January 2027), alongside November astronomy sessions for younger tamariki in Te Tai Tokerau and Pōneke. Led by the Aotearoa Aerospace Academy in partnership with specialist space educators from SpacewardBound.NZ / Star Safari and It's Not Rocket Science, these hands-on programmes give rangatahi direct pathways into engineering, rocketry, robotics, and planetary science.
Inside the 3-Day Mission to Space Camp Programme
Rather than watching passive demonstrations, secondary students at Mission to Space Camp form an active mission crew across three full days (9:00 AM – 3:00 PM daily) to tackle the real-world engineering challenges of exploring Earth, the Moon, and Mars:
Plan & Operate a Mars Rover Mission: Work as a planetary mission team to map routes, operate working rover models, and troubleshoot surface hazards.
Design & Launch Model Rockets: Apply aerodynamics and propulsion principles to build, test, and launch rockets.
Train Like an Astronaut & Work with Robotics: Complete astronaut-style technical and teamwork challenges while experimenting with robotic systems designed for extreme environments.
Explore Earth & Space Systems: Investigate how planetary scientists study Earth's environmental systems to prepare for off-world exploration.
Ōtautahi Christchurch (21–23 December 2026):
Location: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Wigram, Christchurch (9:00 AM – 3:00 PM daily)
Register: Book Christchurch Mission to Space Camp on Humanitix
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (25–27 January 2027):
Location: 36 Dominion Street, Takapuna, Auckland (9:00 AM – 3:00 PM daily)
Know of a student scholarship, summer science camp, or youth competition we should feature? Browse our Bay Science Events Calendar or get in touch at info@bayscience.nz.
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