The Christchurch-based company was founded in 2018[1] by Mark Rocket, a seed investor of Rocket Lab,[2] as well as Philipp Sültrop.[3] Rocket is the CEO of Kea,[4] and Wolfgang Leitner provided early funding.[5] Kea Aerospace became the second company in New Zealand to take participate in the government's Airspace Integration Trials Programme.[4] Kea is collaborating with the NASA Ames Research Center on the image processing algorithms.[6] In a October 2022 high-altitude balloon flight to take measurements and test their equipment, the company brought a kea soft toy, named Kelly the Kea, into the stratosphere. It landed in a farm using a parachute.[2]
In February 2025 the Kea Atmos made its first flight into the stratosphere, flying to an altitude of 17,155 metres (56,284 ft), with a flight duration of 8 hours and 20 minutes where it flew a total distance of 420 kilometres (260 mi). It has a wingspan of 12.5 metres and a weight under 40 kilograms (88 lb). It is solar powered,[1] and transmits the data it is receiving to the ground.[6] The aircraft, which has been described as a "cross between a satellite and a plane", is solar-powered.[7] The company aims at having flights that last for months at a time,[4] and says that the aircraft may be used for "things like maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring [and] disaster management".[7] As of 2025, the company launches the aircraft using a driving car. This is because the aircraft must be very light, meaning it cannot afford to use a landing gear.[7]
