Defence launches ‘space division’, headed by SA’s Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts

Australia’s Defence Force is launching a new space division – and it will be headed by a South Australian who says it’s her dream assignment.

Australia’s Defence Department will launch a new ‘space division’ next year, set to be led by a South Australian.

Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts, an SA girl from Mount Gambier, will be the inaugural head of defence’s space division when it’s launched within the Royal Australian Air Force in early 2022.

She said the new role was a dream come true.

“To reach for the stars and actually get there is a phenomenal feeling,” Air Vice-Marshal Roberts said.

“As an aerospace engineer I have always been fascinated by space – the ultimate high-ground.”

Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts will be the first head of the RAAF’s space division.

She spoke to The Advertiser last year about the prospects for the Australian space industry to contribute to building a locally owned satellite network, announced in 2020 as part of $7bn for space capabilities in the broader $270bn military step-up.

“Australian industry at the moment isn’t in a position to build really big, complex satellites that operate in geostationary orbit, but they can produce parts of them,” Air Vice-Marshall Roberts said at the time.

Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts’ career as an aerospace engineer and senior Air Force officer has spanned more than 35 years.

Chief of Air Force Mel Hupfeld said Defence would need capabilities that “directly contribute to outcomes in space as a contested domain” but added “this does not mean that Defence encourages the militarisation of space”.

“All space operations are conducted consistent with international and domestic legal obligations,” he said.

Air Marshal Hupfeld said space had become integral to many sectors.

“We use space daily for understanding the weather, navigating, access to geospatial information and sharing information across Australia or across the world,” he said.

Air Vice-Marshal Roberts is currently head of Air Force Capability, which is responsible for designing and readying the technology Australia will need for the air and space domains in future.