Are Rocket Lab launches helping Israel target Gaza?

A new lawsuit alleges satellites launched from New Zealand may be providing intelligence used by Israel in Gaza. Could Rocket Lab’s launches be making New Zealand complicit?

Rocket Lab is one of New Zealand’s great business success stories. But much of that success rests on its deep ties to US military and intelligence agencies.

Since its early days, the company has enjoyed a close relationship with the Pentagon, and since beginning regular commercial launches eight years ago, it has turned New Zealand into an important launch site for military assets in space.

But what does this actually mean for life on planet Earth?

A new lawsuit filed today in Wellington puts that question squarely on the table, challenging government decisions to approve Rocket Lab’s launches for US geospatial intelligence company BlackSky.

BlackSky operates a constellation of satellites that provide high-resolution, near-real-time imagery and analysis to its customers. Its main customer outside the US is Israel's Ministry of Defence, according to Intelligence Online in July 2024.

The consequence is that BlackSky satellites launched from New Zealand might be used by Israel to identify targets in Gaza, the new lawsuit alleges.

In this episode of Public Interest, Ollie Neas speaks to one of the three plaintiffs in the case, Yasser Abdulaal, a Palestinian New Zealander, and his lawyer Sam Vincent, about why they’ve brought the case, what they hope to achieve from it, and what it could mean for New Zealand’s complicity in a genocide.

Rocket Lab, BlackSky and the Minister for Space have been approached for comment. At the time of publication, no response has been received.

Watch the full conversation below and subscribe to Public Interest for more discussions making sense of politics and power in Aotearoa.

Episode edited by Jeremy Leveridge.