Final price tag of Australian Space Park at Adelaide Airport revealed

A hi-tech Silicon Valley-style Space Park at Adelaide Airport is now fully funded and set to make SA the nation’s biggest satellite maker. See when work will begin.

South Australia will become the country’s biggest manufacturer of satellites as a Silicon Valley-style space park at Adelaide Airport becomes fully funded with a $20m boost from the federal government.

Federal Industry Minister Angus Taylor will on Thursday announce the $20m grant for the Australian Space Park, completing the final piece of the funding puzzle and revealing the final price tag for the project is $66.1m.

A consortium of space companies led by Lot Fourteen-based satellite pioneers, Fleet Space Technologies, will invest $26.1m, on top of the state government’s $20m contribution.

The Australian Space Park, to be built at Adelaide Airport starting in early 2023, is expected to create 1305 new direct and indirect jobs, and will be the nation’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub.

South Australia will become home to the nation's first dedicated space manufacturing hub – the Australian Space Park – more than 1000 direct and indirect jobs.

Artist impression of the Australian Space Park at Adelaide Airport.

“Our space businesses are already globally recognised but these investments are about driving their potential to scale up and create more high-value jobs for Australians,” Mr Taylor said.

“Not only will this investment in South Australia help grow our space sector, it will foster the next generation of space manufacturers and researchers.”

The federal government’s $20m contribution was made with the $1.3bn Modern Manufacturing Initiative.

The space park, taking cues from the US’s hi-tech Silicon Valley region in Northern California, will host four space companies – Fleet, Q-CTRL, ATSpace and Alauda Aeronautics.

It will manufacture a swath of space equipment, including small satellites and rockets, establishing SA as the biggest manufacturer of satellites in the nation.

The hub will boost collaboration between space companies and help slash some of the extreme cost and barriers businesses face in developing and manufacturing complex technology to be launched into space.

Industry Minister Angus Taylor will announce $20m of new funding for the Australian Space Park at Adelaide Airport.

Fleet co-founder and chief executive Flavia Tata Nardini said the shared facility would support the entire Australian space industry.

“The federal government supporting the vision and the strategy of SA puts Australia on the international space map,” Ms Nardini said.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the federal money would help get the “hub off the ground” and “unlock at least another 1000 space jobs”.

“This if further reinforcement that SA really is the space state,” Senator Birmingham said.

Premier Steven Marshall will leverage the federal government’s new investment for his state election campaign, declaring “not even the sky is the limit” under Liberal rule.

“This election is all about building a stronger future and opening new opportunities for South Australians and the space sector does both,” he said.

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Originally published as Final price tag of Australian Space Park at Adelaide Airport revealed