WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) established its first dedicated space unit on July 4 with the reactivation of No. 62 Squadron at Whenuapai airbase, Auckland.

“Space is vital for modern life,” New Zealand’s Minister for Space Judith Collins, whose portfolio also includes Defense, said at an inauguration ceremony with top military brass, including Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies and Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb.

“We rely on space-based infrastructure for a range of critical services, from weather observation to financial transactions,” Collins said.

The squadron’s initial focus will be on monitoring, analyzing and understanding space activity to safeguard national and international interests, she added.

Webb said New Zealand recently joined the U.S.-led Operation Olympic Defender, a seven-nation multinational space defense initiative, giving New Zealand a voice and view in the grouping about responsible space behavior.

“Primarily it is about ensuring the continued, free, safe and assured access to space-based services … through deterring any likely action that might occur,” he said.

According to Air Commodore Andy Scott, air component commander at Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, the new squadron of 12 individuals will grow over time, “working with industry, working with academia.”

Currently, the squadron is working closely with the U.S. Space Force, leading what’s known as the Pacific Cell, Scott explained. “It’s between us, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea.”

New Zealand has been active in space based matters for at least a decade, in July 2015 joining the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) military initiative, which includes Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

In March 2017 the country joined Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in funding the launch of a satellite (WGS-9) for military access to the entire Wideband Global Satellite constellation.

New Zealand also participates, together with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom, in the U.S. Space Force’s annual Schriever Wargames. The drill tests policy, legal and operational approaches to hypothetical space security challenges arising in the future.

Originally formed in 1943, No. 62 Squadron provided allied forces with radar operations in the Pacific in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands, including the Guadalcanal campaign, for more than a year until October 1944.

The motto of the new squadron: ”Look to the stars.”

Nick Lee-Frampton is the New Zealand correspondent for Defense News.