Dawn Aerospace Propelled Into Top 100 ‘best Tech Start-ups’ To Work For In Aotearoa

Space transportation company, Dawn Aerospace is breaking new ground in sustainable space travel, and now the innovative company has been recognised as one of the best high-growth start-ups to work for in Aotearoa.

Dawn Aerospace has been listed in the Matchstiq Top 100 of 2022 – a list of high-growth start-ups and tech companies to work for in New Zealand.

Nominated companies must be New Zealand-owned and operated and be building an innovative product that’s disrupting a global industry.

Dawn Aerospace, which is based in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and United States, is developing technology in the global space industry, and has recently announced it has been contracted to produce more than 100 thrusters for clients across the US, Europe, Japan, India, and Indonesia. The company also has propulsion contracts for a series of constellations, including Pixxel's hyperspectral imaging constellation and the Indonesian Space Agency's (LAPAN) early-tsunami warning constellation.

Dawn Aerospace CEO and co-founder Stefan Powell says the company’s inclusion on the Matchstiq Top 100 of 2022 list reflected its commitment to being a great place for people to work. “Every day, we’re delivering innovative, high-quality space technology, and our people are central to this. We pride ourselves on being a place for everyone to thrive, so to be listed as a top tech company to work for, is wonderful recognition of what we have been doing,” he says.

The Matchstiq Top 100 list helps job seekers learn about New Zealand’s most promising start-ups and tech companies, based on their growth prospects, work culture and contributions. Co-founder Greg Denton says, "The entire tech ecosystem in New Zealand has a responsibility to champion greater diversity. We really love seeing companies like Dawn Aerospace, and others, call out the barriers women and minority groups typically face…”

“The ambition in the New Zealand tech ecosystem is something everyone should get excited about. We have companies like Dawn Aerospace making international headlines with their ambition to make space transportation more sustainable. How cool is that?”

The news comes as Dawn Aerospace makes another big announcement this week - being selected by Blue Canyon Technologies to provide turnkey propulsion systems for the X-SAT Saturn satellite bus. Dawn Aerospace will supply thrusters, tanks, control electronics, and full-service support in logistics and propellant loading for the ESPA Grande-class satellite. Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) has supported missions for the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It also provided the Attitude Control Systems for the first interplanetary CubeSats, which successfully travelled to Mars.

BCT CEO Stephen Steg said given the fast-moving nature of their business, they need suppliers that can match their cadence and quality. “The in-space-heritage, creative thinking and solutions-focused approach we've seen from Dawn Aerospace, gives us great confidence in their ability to deliver,” he says.

Dawn Aerospace has achieved a series of significant milestones recently, including launching 27 propulsion units and flying on all SpaceX Transporter missions to date; significant funding from tech investment firm – Movac; and signing a series of commercial satellite customers globally.

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