Moon to Mars: NASA’s daring plan golden opportunity for Glitter Strip

McPherson MP Karen Andrews expects Gold Coast researchers and rocket builders will reap the benefits of $150 million to go towards a human mission to Mars

MCPHERSON MP Karen Andrews expects Gold Coast researchers and rocket builders will reap the benefits of $150 million which will go towards a human mission to Mars.

The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology welcomed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement this weekend of a Federal Government cash injection to grow the space sector.

“This will be specifically targeted to work with NASA for their Moon to Mars project. It’s a really exciting day,” Ms Andrews said.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology and Member for McPherson Karen Andrews. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

“This $150 million is targeted directly at Australian businesses. So this is not going to be handed over to NASA.

“We will be using it to work with our Australian business to grow the technology that already exists here, but look at new technologies that could be used in space.”

Ms Andrews said the Australian Space Agency, headquartered in South Australia, had already taken “huge leaps in growing the space sector”, despite its formation little more than one year ago.

A computer generated image shows the NASA Opportunity rover of the Mars Exploration Program.. Picture: NASA/AFP

NASA plans to enable human exploration of the Moon by 2024 to prepare for human missions to Mars and other destinations.

Ms Andrews said she would be discussing the funding with Gilmour Space Technologies on the Gold Coast and urging the company to get involved.

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The Queensland start-up is co-founded by brothers Adam and James Gilmour and has been working on a new hybrid rocket propulsion system.

“Right here on the Gold Coast we have Gilmour Technologies and they’ve been doing a lot of work on launching sounding rockets, test rockets,” Ms Andrews said.

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on February 6, 2018. The world's most powerful rocket, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, blasted off on its highly anticipated maiden test flight, carrying CEO Elon Musk's cherry red Tesla roadster to an orbit near Mars. Picture: Bruce Weaver/AFP

“I will be speaking directly with Gilmour Technologies yet again to talk about opportunities for them to further develop their capabilities here on the Gold Coast.”

Ms Andrews was confident universities on the Gold Coast will also benefit from the Moon to Mars spending.

“We’ve got Griffith University, we’ve got Southern Cross University, we’ve got Bond University here,” she said.

“I want to make sure there are researchers and there are research organisations closely involved in what we’re doing in space.”

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the NASA headquarters in Washington DC, United States, Saturday, September 21, 2019. Scott Morrison signs a Statement of Intent committing $150 million to NASa's Artemis Project. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING

Late on Saturday night in Australia, Mr Morrison spoke at NASA headquarters in Washington, where the new deal was signed.

He said the moon mission helped “to capture the human imagination”.

“Daring and brilliance is a great inspiration to all of us,” he said.

“So beam us up.”

Ms Andrews said the new spending brought the government’s “commitment to Australian space” to more than $500 million.