Microsoft readies space start-ups for lift-off

The tech giant is confident that space will create 20,000 Australian jobs by 2020.

Microsoft is hoping its space program will help start-ups take to the skies. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP

Supporting Australian space start-ups isn’t rocket science for tech giant Microsoft, which is launching a new program to support eligible companies with Microsoft technologies and mentorship, along with Azure cloud credits, in a bid to kickstart the local industry.

The program, launched this week, comes hot on the heels of a flurry of activity in Australia’s space industry, which last year gained a local space agency based in Adelaide, with local space start-ups including Gilmour Space Technologies, Fleet Space Technologies and Myriota now worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Analysis indicates the global space industry is worth $450bn and is forecast to soar to $1.3tn by 2040, as space-related missions accelerate and access to space is made easier through cheaper and more accessible technologies.

The Australian Space Agency’s goal is to triple the space sector’s contribution to GDP to $12bn and create an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030.

The Space Agency’s strategy this year passes from stage two to stage three, shifting in focus from growth opportunities to delivering on projects and targets.

Microsoft executive Lynn McDonald, the company’s Canberra-based Azure space lead and a retired US Air Force Colonel, said space start-ups were solving real-world problems including bushfire detection, climate change and helping to develop sustainable practices on Earth and in space.

“We think Australia has this really interesting opportunity to engage in some of the toughest problems that can be helped through space technology, and Australia can help lead globally,” she said. “I think we’re on the front end of this very exciting period of human understanding and exploring more sustained activity in space.

“There’s a lot to be excited about, and start-ups are bringing a fresh perspective and small companies are not encumbered by process. They can move really fast and we want to help them accelerate.”

One start-up in the program is the Office of Planetary Observations (OPO), which leverages satellite data to provide insights about local environments that can be used by people including developers and town planners to design climate-resilient cities. Its platform lets citizens ask ‘how green is my suburb’ and receive a response using space-sourced data.

“Access to satellite-sourced data regarding the environment allows real-time digital twins of cities or urban developments to be built and then used to create a healthier ecosystem by connecting the built environment with nature,” founder Thomas Gooch said.

“With the program we’ll have access to space-enabled compute and communications capability, as well as the opportunity to engage with Microsoft specialists who will play an important role in helping us to grow our business in Australia and globally.”

Another start-up, Spiral Blue, is building Space Edge – an on-board computer for Earth observation satellites that processes images on the satellite as they are collected.

“Satellite images offer enormous insights and opportunity to a broad range of industries – but only if they can be accessed and analysed accurately and rapidly. We are developing that capability,“ Spiral Blue founder Taofiq Huq said.