Space Centre Australia secures 88ha land parcel at Cape York known as Utingu
An emerging spaceport has snapped up the nation’s most northern freehold land to be used as a rocket launching base.
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An emerging Far North spaceport has all-but snapped up the nation’s most northern freehold land to be used as a rocket launching base.
The 88ha land parcel located at Punsand Bay, known as Utingu, hit the market last month for the first time in 20 years.
Sensing an opportunity to expand a planned spaceport near Weipa, Space Centre Australia has jumped on the land that will offer additional rocket launch profiles from the proposed facility at a site considered to be the closest to the equator in the entire Asia Pacific region.
The land is now under contract.
Space Centre Australia chief executive James Palmer said the land at the nation’s most northern extremity would be used for ongoing satellite launch development and future spaceport operations.
“It was something that came up and was unique because it was commercial freehold and it melded well with our strategic development,” he said.
Last year Space Centre Australia announced a goal to have rocket ships delivering satellites into space from a permanent Cape York launch site within five years.
Mr Palmer said a new white paper produced by Space Centre Australia details the importance of a synergy between the AUKUS submarine project and a local space industry operating infrastructure assets at Cape York.
“By having a spaceport of this size to support the new AUKUS subs when they come online, you need to have satellites in space,” he said.
“Without those capabilities in space those assets in the air, land and sea are running blind.
“They require GPS, information and intelligence and at the moment we rely on other countries, if there is ever a conflict that reliance could cause problems.
“It’s about sovereign capability.”
In March this year Space Centre Australia partnered with UK-Ukrainian company Orbit Boy to develop an airmobile horizontal rocket launch system that could be operational and commercialised by the end of 2024.
Mr Palmer said the Weipa base and the Orbit Boy venture were progressing and to expect further announcements on the former later this month.
“We are finishing up a capital raise and that will enable us to work through development and environmental applications, traditional owner and community engagement and consultation,” he said.
“And the Orbit Boy stuff is going really well, we are doing flight testing in Europe and we will see an announcement in November.”
Championing the project Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the Space Centre Australia venture was something for the Far North to get excited about.
“It’s absolutely critical for us to be able to support this project so we have sovereignty of our own assets,” he said.
“It’s an absolutely a no-brainer to expand that to the hi-tech space industry … and Cairns is going to be a major benefactor.”
Vocal about potential Chinese acquisition of the strategically located freehold block earlier this week, Kennedy MP Bob Katter was relieved to hear land ownership wouldn’t be going off shore.
“We are pleased and feel more comfortable this strategic location is remaining in the hands of Australia, and no doubt, it’s an ideal location for a space station,” he said.
“It will be terrific for the people of Bamaga and surrounding towns to potentially earn some sophisticated jobs within their community areas.”
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