A crowd of more than 100 people cheered after Greg Bodeker finished his presentation about the Centre for Space Science Technology in Alexandra this week. Bodeker Scientific is leading the government funding proposal for the project.
Some audience members questioned whether its space-based research could be used for military or surveillance purposes.
Dr Bodeker said that would be "very hard to justify", as the centre was meant to "lift the game" of industries active in New Zealand’s regions.
"The Defence Technology Agency in New Zealand has an interest in what we are going to be doing, but it’s mostly around data telemetry, it’s not about spying."
A board of directors would ultimately make those calls, however, New Zealand was developing space law which might put legislative control over what the centre could do, he said.
The chief executive salary would be about $300,000, and the centre would bring other high-paying jobs to the region, he said.
It would also offer cadetships for high school pupils and university students.
The centre would eventually build its own satellites.
New Zealand would soon be the only Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country without a satellite programme and would be left behind, he said.
The company’s main function would be helping existing companies in New Zealand develop products to benefit the regions for free or for a minimal cost.
An example of its work would be to take raw data from satellites, accompanied by other information, and develop a "product" which allowed farms to irrigate more precisely, Dr Bodeker said.
"A lot of what we’re doing here is driven by environmental concerns."
Dr Bodeker said his role in the centre would now diminish, but he would apply for a part-time job as its director of research.
Last month Minister for Science and Innovation Steven Joyce announced a grant of up to $14.7million for the project.
The spaced-based centre will be based in Alexandra and have offices in Dunedin, New Plymouth and Lincoln.
It is expected to open on July 1.
