SA’s space sector on track to grow after coronavirus
SA is well on its way to becoming the space jobs capital of Australia, taking a huge amount of the investment already. But industry is desperate to stop money and jobs going overseas.
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Australia’s fledgling space sector has gained a whopping $2 billion of investment, with almost a third going to SA.
But the state is in a race with NSW, Victoria and other countries to secure even more work.
As South Australia positions itself as the space jobs capital of the country, industry is crying out for Australian businesses to be preferenced ahead of international companies for major contracts to stop money and jobs going overseas, particularly in the wake of coronavirus.
It comes as America reignites its own space program, with NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully sending US astronauts into space for the first time in almost a decade on Saturday.
Eighty-eight space projects are in the pipeline across Australia, up from 71 in December, according to the Australian Space Agency.
Total government and private sector investment has ramped up in the past five months. There is now more than $2 billion worth of space projects underway or in the pipeline across the country, up from $1.6 billion in December.
According to Space Agency figures, SA is on track to secure about a third of that total investment.
However, it only attracts about 9 per cent of investment from private space companies, with the bulk of that work going to NSW and Victoria.
Adelaide-based Inovor Technologies chief executive Dr Matthew Tetlow said for the local industry to grow, governments should preference Australian contractors first when allocating money for big space or defence contracts.
His is building satellites for the Defence Department and CSIRO.
“Investment is important but I think the thing we really need to look at … is where the Government spends their money,” Dr Tetlow said.
“In the US they release tenders all the time and say ‘US company only’. In Australia, it’s completely open slather.”
Premier Steven Marshall said space would continue to be a priority after coronavirus, with the industry tipped to create 20,000 jobs across Australia by 2030.
“There is a new importance placed on national resilience and sovereign capability since the COVID-19 crisis, which offers opportunities for homegrown innovation,” he said.
“The space sector is one area that can certainly play a role in this.”
Australian Space Agency boss Dr Megan Clark said SA had a “significant portion of the capital pipeline” and would attract more through key projects such as Lot Fourteen.
SA also has the Whaler’s Way rocket launch site, 35 minutes drive from Port Lincoln, and the state’s universities are heavily involved in the SmartSAT CRC research and development project.
State Labor leader Peter Malinauskas said more collaboration with SA universities would help the sector to grow.
Sitael, Tyvak and Leonardo are among the international companies who have or are planning to establish a base in South Australia.