"We want to create a level playing field for countries other than the superpowers in space like the United States, China and Russia," Ms Paat-Dahlstrom said.
"We think New Zealand is the perfect place for a prototype for a space ecosystem."
Ms Paat-Dahlstrom said the government's development of space policies and law, New Zealand's isolation which allows for more frequent launches into space and more launch angles, and existing technologies that could be adapted for space were an advantage.
"The inherent culture of New Zealand has been as explorers which has led to New Zealand being now at the forefront of supporting science, research and exploration in Antarctica. A natural progression from that is to space."
The challenge is to find the best methods to identify hazards and map a path across the ice and/or design or prototype new sensor systems and algorithms to help vehicles navigate across the ice, using Antarctica as an analogue of future space exploration.
"The challenge is aimed at entrepreneurs," Ms Paat-Dahlstrom said.
"That could be a high school kid who has an idea, all the way to a company that may already have a technology or solution but be using it in a different industry."
Space law expert Dr Maria Pozza will join Ms Paat-Dahlstrom and her husband Eric Dahlstrom at the Space Challenge briefing. Dr Pozza works for New Plymouth firm GQ The Lawyers, a gold sponsor of the Space Challenge.
"The challenge is going to be very exciting because people can put forward great ideas about how to solve the problem that's been posed to them and allows innovation and collaboration between teams," Dr Pozza said.
Dr Pozza will talk about space law and how it might affect participants' solutions to the challenge.
"Space law is new in New Zealand, though it's been around since the 1950s-1960s at an international level. It's a licensing framework which, among other things, licenses proposed launches and proposed assets to be placed on proposed launch vehicles. Put another way, it's a satellite on a rocket.
"The challengers go away after the briefing and think of ways to answer the challenge then present their solution to a panel of judges.
"Space is the limit - think wide and big."
Submissions for the challenge close on April 30. People can submit as individuals or teams.
Whanganui entries will be part of the Wellington-Taranaki-Whanganui-Palmerston North regional competition. A regional finalist will be announced by May 16 and will compete against four others on May 24 during TechWeek in Christchurch. The national winner will receive $40,000 and support to commercialise their idea or business start-up establishment support as well as a minimum of six months' free access to a co-working space. They will also have time with Dr Pozza to explore the legal compliance of their application. The regional finalists will receive six months of co-working space and mentorship at a regional incubator/accelerator.
The Space Challenge's Whanganui briefing will be at Hive & Co, 98 Victoria Ave, at 5.30pm-7.30pm on Monday, March 12.