Last year, New Zealand hosted seven rocket launches, all by the US-listed but local company Rocket Lab. It was in response to Rocket Lab's initial proposal for a launch site that New Zealand developed a regulatory system from scratch in less than two years to meet obligations under international law.

All launch nations have to register every object they send into space, and continue to supervise those objects to ensure no damage or loss occurs to another country's objects or activities. They also have a responsibility to compensate for any harm.

As well, countries must prevent contamination of outer space and Earth's environment, and ensure space activity does not interfere with other countries' rights to free access and participation.