NZ Citizens Sue Government Over BlackSky Satellite Launches

Three New Zealand citizens—Yasser Abdulaal, Maher Nazzal, and Dr. Timoti Te Moke—filed a judicial review in the Wellington High Court on August 12, 2026. The plaintiffs challenge the government's approval of spy satellite launches for BlackSky from the Rocket Lab site at Māhia, arguing the satellites provide geospatial targeting data used by the Israeli military in Gaza.

The legal action, brought under the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017, targets former space minister Judith Collins and current space minister Chris Penk. Collins approved four launches already in space, while Penk approved 26 additional launches in April. The plaintiffs assert the government failed to consider obligations under the Genocide Convention and international human rights law, alleging the state exhibited wilful ignorance regarding BlackSky's relationship with Israel.

Supported by Justice for Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, the case seeks to quash Minister Penk's approvals and mandate an inquiry into the supply of data to Israel. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is also implicated, as the agency that approved the launches in late 2023.