In this image taken from NASA video, commander Matthew Dominick, bottom right, and pilot Michael Barratt launch toward the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule on March 3, 2024, from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (PHOTO / AP)

WELLINGTON — New Zealand scientists have launched protein research on the International Space Station to develop more effective medicines and vaccines.

Sarah Kessans from the University of Canterbury developed the hardware to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study the ways proteins crystallize in microgravity and to use their insights to develop more effective medicines and vaccines among other applications.

MethaneSAT is a state-of-the-art satellite designed to detect methane emissions with accuracy and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change, said a government statement

Kessans' research was launched on Friday (New Zealand time) on a rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, the United States. It was accompanied by protein experiments from New Zealand's Canterbury, Otago, Victoria and Waikato universities.

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Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins, who is also the Space Minister, said Kessans' research is an inspiring example of the ways space technology can accelerate innovation on Earth.

The New Zealand government is committed to developing the space sector, fostering innovation and supporting partnerships between New Zealand research community and international space agencies and commercial collaborators, the minister said.

Earlier this month, New Zealand welcomed the successful launch of MethaneSAT, hailing it as a milestone in the development of its space sector and liftoff in global fight against climate change.

MethaneSAT is a state-of-the-art satellite designed to detect methane emissions with accuracy and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change, said a government statement.

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New Zealand's role in the joint mission with the US-based non-profit Environmental Defense Fund, includes hosting the satellite's mission operations control center and leading an atmospheric science program, studying global emissions from agriculture, it said.