Skilled, highly-paid workforce to call Gold Coast home as Gilmour Space builds Australia’s biggest space manufacturing centre

The Gold Coast’s newest workforce will be highly skilled and very well paid as its fledgling space industry takes flight with a $157m manufacturing hub.

The Gold Coast’s newest workforce will be highly skilled and highly paid as its fledgling space industry takes flight.

The Federal Government on Friday announced a $52m funding boost for a $157m space centre plan to create 850 new jobs in the next five years.

Helensvale company Gilmour Space will receive the grant towards building the world’s third largest space technology facility, to be known as the Australian Space Manufacturing Network.

The network will draw companies from around Australia to manufacture robotics, rockets, satellites, software and sensors for the $600bn global space industry.

Professor Paulo de Souza, Head of Griffith University’s School of Information and Communication Technology, said the space hub would need hundreds of qualified workers.

He said the facility was transformative for the Gold Coast and the sector could eventually employ thousands of people here.

“Having the infrastructure required to manufacture right here offers the Gold Coast, and southeast Queensland broadly, an alternative in terms of economic development,” he said.

“I know tourism and hospitality is a big industry on the Gold Coast but this offers an alternative market, and we saw the importance of that during lockdowns and limits in term of travelling.

“This is a message to our kids at school – they don’t have to go overseas to have the chance to work in the space industry, they can do it here on the Gold Coast.”

Prof de Souza said the space manufacturing industry would also create lucrative export opportunities and enhance the nation’s “sovereign capability”, helping avoid import supply chain issues like those exacerbated during the pandemic.

“We are incredibly dependent when it comes to hi-tech and a country like Australia can’t afford to be that dependent,” he said.

Prof de Souza said universities across Queensland would work together to train the necessary highly-skilled and in-demand workforce.

He said the hub would enable students to “get their hands dirty” in the industry as soon as possible, meaning they were experienced with it before they completed their training.

Prof de Souza said the Gold Coast’s space workforce would be highly paid, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals.

He expected the next wave of school and university graduates would be increasingly interested in space careers.

“If it’s about dinosaurs or rockets, kids will be interested,” Prof de Souza said.

“It’s fascinating how much interest space does attract – I think it’s part of our DNA, we have been explorers.

“I think there’s a shift from exploring space to exploiting space and what we can do for industry here, how we can improve the quality of life.”

$157m Space Centre a boon for Coast jobs

March 25: The Gold Coast is on track to be Australia’s own Cape Canaveral, with a $52m funding boost putting a rocket under a $157m space centre plan to create 850 new jobs in the next five years.

Helensvale company Gilmour Space will receive the $52m federal grant towards building the world’s third largest space technology facility, to be known as the Australian Space Manufacturing Network.

The network will draw companies from around Australia to manufacture robotics, rockets, satellites, software and sensors for the $600bn global space industry.

CEO Adam Gilmour said the company was considering sites in Helensvale, Yatala and Stapylton for the centre.

“This is fantastic for the Gold Coast, this will be the space manufacturing capital of Australia,” he said.

“This really will be the centre of excellence for space manufacturing.

“It’s a place where we’ll have up to 500 people working in our factory then another 100-200 in the vicinity, so it’s a big employment outcome.”

Of the new roles, 350 will be highly skilled space technicians and engineers.

The funds will come from the Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative, a $1.5bn project aimed at adopting, commercialising and integrating new technologies into supply chains.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Government’s investment in the project would enable collaboration between small and medium businesses and researchers.

“The race is on in the $600bn global space economy and the Australian Space Manufacturing Network will help cement the incredible opportunities for local companies to be part of the excitement of launch,” he said.

“From testing to manufacture, to assembly and finally launch, this project will harness great Aussie know-how to attract further private investment and create hundreds of high-skilled and high-value jobs.

“Through the work of the Australian Space Agency we already know that space technologies are playing an increasingly important role on earth, supporting navigation systems which draw on them in our cars and smartphones and by farmers to monitor the health of their crops.”

The main component of the project will be funded privately, while Gilmour Space hopes the state government will also chip in.

Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technology co founders Adam and James Gilmour. Picture: Supplied

Gilmour Space last year received a $61m boost from five Australian and US firms towards the company’s rocket program.

Mr Gilmour said he expected construction of the new facility to take around 12 months from the time plans were finalised.

“We’re trying to narrow down the locations and none of them have a building on it and we estimate the building will take about 12 months,” he said.

Mr Gilmour said the facility would have the specialised “clean rooms” and thermal vacuum chamber required to assemble and test products to deal with the rigours of space.

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