Prime Minister Scott Morrison to unveil $65m SA space investment to send another Australian into space

In Adelaide on Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $65m boost to the state’s space program, as he joined the Premier on the campaign trail.

Premier Steven Marshall has been joined on the campaign trail by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who announced a major boost to the state’s space program.

Mr Morrison visited Lot Fourteen to announce $65m in federal funding to establish South Australia as a global heavyweight in outer world exploration.

Referring to Mr Marshall as “Mr Smiles”, he praised his economic credentials and ambition for the state.

“The return of the Marshall government here in South Australia is an absolute necessity to continue to see that optimism and that positivity that the most optimistic and positive person in Australian politics has been able to bring,” he said

Mr Morrison spent much of Friday’s press conference talking about the situation in Ukraine, which he said had left Australia “extremely concerned” about the “terrible violence”.

During his visit to Adelaide, he, Mr Marshall and Senator Simon Birmingham will also meet with members of the local Ukrainian community.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison ordered the Lot Fourteen-based Australian Space Agency to “embark on a mission” that would involve sending the third Australian into space on a NASA flight.

The $65m investment includes funding to develop up to three new or existing launch sites across Australia, with the Woomera aerospace facility in SA’s Far North tipped to be a top candidate.

As part of the package, more than $32m will be injected into the space agency to expand the nation’s sector by procuring cutting edge technology and helping companies gain crucial flight accreditation for new space crafts more quickly.

Mr Morrison said Australia was “ready to launch”, vowing to back local companies and workers to “look up and aim high”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during the opening of the new Australian Space Agency at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide in February 2020.

“The journey to sending an Australian into space means serious investment in local jobs, local technologies and local businesses,” he said.

Mr Morrison said the funding would help unlock new technology advancements that could be “applied in our everyday lives” while creating new jobs.

The space agency has been tasked with working with NASA and other international partners to launch another Australian into space.

Adelaide company Fleet recently opened an office in Houston, Texas, to join NASA in its mission to land the first woman on the moon.

Adelaide-born astronaut Andy Thomas flew four space missions between 1996 and 2005 and remains the only Australian to enter space as a NASA astronaut.

Australian-born Paul Scully-Power flew aboard NASA’s Challenger space shuttle as a civilian payload specialist in 1984.

Premier Steven Marshall said SA’s space sector was “going gangbusters", declaring the $65m federal investment would allow young South Australians to have a “rewarding career in the space sector without having to move interstate or overseas”.

Cherie Htun and Isabella Smith at MOD in Adelaide. Ms Htun hopes to combine her desire to become a medical engineer with her love for space. Picture: Matt Loxton

Cherie Htun, a 16-year-old Year 12 student at Adelaide Botanic High School, wants to combine her desire to become a medical engineer with her love for space.

“Last year, I attended a space panel and it was amazing to see all the companies and start-ups that are in collaboration with our space agency,” she said.

She applied to UniSA for a position on the Museum of Discovery Youth Board to help prototype exhibitions and experiences.

The federal government will invest $3.5m for a nationwide “student space challenge”, allowing students to launch new inventions into orbit.

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Originally published as Prime Minister Scott Morrison to unveil $65m SA space investment to send another Australian into space