National space agency for Australia, Adelaide poised to be major part of new industry
EXCLUSIVE: Australia will get a long-awaited national space agency and Adelaide is poised to be a major part of the booming industry.
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AUSTRALIA will get a long-awaited national space agency and Adelaide is poised to be a major part of the booming industry.
The Federal Government will today announce the creation of the agency, to harness the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs that will be created.
Globally, the space industry is worth more than $400 billion; in Australia it is worth about $4 billion and employs 11,500 workers.
The State Government estimates an agency could help boost that to as much as $18 billion within three years.
The news comes as Adelaide is, for a week, the centre of the space universe.
Today is the start of the 68th International Astronautical Congress. More than 4000 of the world’s top space brains will attend, including astronaut Buzz Aldrin and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Arthur Sinodinos began a review of the space industry earlier this year. That review will now report in March on a charter for the agency.
Senator Sinodinos is on extended leave, and WA Senator Michaelia Cash is acting in his place.
“The agency will be the anchor for our domestic coordination and the front door for our international engagement,” she said.
“A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry.
“The global space industry is growing rapidly and it’s crucial that Australia is part of this growth.”
SA Senator Simon Birmingham said SA would be “central” to the space industry, because of its geography and the alignment with the defence industry.
“I am truly excited by the potential this announcement will bring to Australia and SA, with opportunities to inspire a new generation to literally see the world as their universe and embrace the potential benefits of studying science and related disciplines,” he said.
Australia is the only developed nation without a space agency, which would act as the first port of call for industry and as a source of advice for the Government. SA and the ACT have been pushing for one with its headquarters in the nation’s capital but an industrial and operational base in Adelaide. However, all states will be in the running to host the agency.
The announcement comes just days after the State Government created the SA Space Industry Centre, which it says will become a “node” in the national scheme.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the centre would “put a tangible investment in place so that we can, I think with some credibility, say to the Commonwealth we want to be your partner in the establishment of a national space agency”.
“We want to be the industry node,” he said.
Even if the Coalition lose the next election, the agency will still be created. Labor will also announce today that if it comes into power, it will create an agency.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said “Australia should be leading the space race, not languishing at the back of the pack”.
“Taking advantage of the global space economy means more investment and more jobs in our backyard,” he said.
Opposition industry, innovation and science spokesman Kim Carr said as part of the growing industry, Australia needed control over its own satellites. They can be used for everything from communications to monitoring natural disasters and possibly even spotting people stealing water from the Murray, he said.
“We are one of the most space-dependent countries in the world but we don’t have jurisdictional control over our satellites,” he told The Advertiser.
From Adelaide-born astronaut Andy Thomas to International Astronautical Federation President Jean-Yves Le Gall, there have been widespread calls for an agency.
“Australia is perfectly placed to develop space systems,” Mr Le Gall said yesterday. Mr Thomas has said it’s a “no brainier”.
State Space Industries Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith yesterday revealed more details of how the state centre would work. He called on space sector businesses to register for part of a $1 million-a-year fund overseen by the SASIC.
“The growth of niche space companies in SA, potentially alongside an Adelaide-based operational node, will encourage international investment in our growing sector,” he said.
The money will go towards scholarships for space skills training, support for space entrepreneurs, and a Space Accelerator Program to help early-stage companies rapidly expand.
SA has a long history in space. Britain’s Black Arrow rocket was launched from Woomera in 1971, quarter of a century before Adelaide’s Mr Thomas rode into space on the Endeavour. The latest advance was the development of 50 CubeSats — nanosatellites to be sent to the International Space Station then deployed into orbit around Earth.
SA is home to more than 60 space-related organisations.
What’s on at the International Astronautical Congress (September 25-29)
■ Entrepreneur Elon Musk and Lockheed Martin to give updates on their proposed missions to Mars.
■ Expected appearance by the second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin.
■ Representatives from the world’s agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency.
■ Panels on space traffic management, how to get on board a spacecraft, and robotic and human villages on the moon and Mars.
■ Speeches from leading space experts on topics including using sunlight to fly and assessing the Great Barrier Reef’s health from space.