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A French space company says it is feasible to build a spaceport for European rocket launches on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury.
SpacedreamS did the study for Crown/iwi-owned Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete Spit.
The joint study says a New Zealand spaceport could help Europeans spread the risks of "weather, technical problems and geopolitics".
A spaceport would be only the country's second, after US-headquartered Rocket Lab's Mahia site.
The study envisages a spaceport with multiple uses.
"We now have a credible long-term framework to continue building towards launch capabilities outside Europe, at a centre that can cater for small and heavy launchers, and with capabilities to support rapid technology development and testing," said chief executive and founder of SpaceDreamS Christian Canart in a statement this week.
Tāwhaki and SpacedreamS say talks are ongoing with government, industry and potential investors in Europe.
Tāwhaki acting chief executive John Holt said the centre was ideal for international space resilience.
The plan was for launch infrastructure that aligned with Māori values including caring for the environment through prioritising low-emission propellants.
At least half a dozen countries are pursuing building spaceports, some of them within new alliances.
The United States is spending large sums updating and expanding its own ports that are under huge pressure as NASA is forced to share them with military and commercial launches.
Tāwhaki pivoted away from rockets just 18 months ago at the government's direction due to lack of customers, and turned more towards its second prong of advanced aviation.
But it was now pivoting to focus on both, Holt said last month, as demand - both commercial and defence, and most often both or dual demand - ramped up.
