New space agency a booster for Marshall government

Australia’s first dedicated space agency will be headquartered in Adelaide in a major boost to the South Australian government.

SA Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: AAP

Australia’s first dedicated space agency will be headquartered in Adelaide in a major boost to the South Australian Marshall government as it looks to tap into a $US345 billion global industry.

Adelaide-born Andy Thomas, one of only three Australian-born NASA astronauts, who has been to space four times, had been ­advising the federal government since 2016 on a domestic industry to participate in a lucrative worldwide space market supporting innovation, defence, telecommunications, the environment and hi-tech jobs.

Scott Morrison will today announce Adelaide as the home of Australia’s space agency, with a $41 million investment “to open doors for local businesses and Australian access to the $US345bn global space industry”.

The Prime Minister, who will host a meeting of premiers and territory leaders in Adelaide, said South Australia was a key hub for innovation and the technology industry, making it the ideal home for the country’s first dedicated space agency.

“This agency is going to open doors for local businesses … and will act as a launching pad to triple Australia’s space economy to $12bn and create up to 20,000 jobs by 2030.”

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said ahead of today’s announcement that he would keep lobbying for the space agency.

“It’s fair to say now every other premier has gone out to their backyard, found a bit of space junk, and said, ‘Look I’d like to put my hand up for it to come here as well’, so we’re going to have to tell them all tomorrow to keep their filthy hands off it,” Mr Marshall said.

Mr Marshall has been advocating for Adelaide to become the Houston of the southern hemisphere, with a purpose-built centre for more than 100 space industry experts at Lot 14, the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site in Adelaide’s CBD, where the new agency will be based.

The South Australian model accommodates branches of key federal agencies such as CSIRO, Defence Science and Technology Group and Geoscience Australia at the facility.

In July, Mr Marshall hosted National Space Agency chief Megan Clark, who toured the nation to work out how the ­agency should be set up.

Mr Marshall told The Australian yesterday that long-term ­investment in Adelaide and its space sector would drive entrepreneurship and innovation while enhancing the city’s liveability.

“South Australia is the ideal location for the Australian Space Agency, with a range of local space industry businesses ­already established here as well as a rapidly growing defence industry sector,” he said.

“Establishing the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency in South Australia will launch our space and defence sectors to the next level.”

South Australia is home to more than 60 organisations and 800 employees in the space ­sector.

Space professionals from around the globe met in Adelaide last week for an internat­ional space forum.