Darwin at the centre of exciting space race

The Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory is under construction, to be the first commercial facility outside of the US used by NASA staff.

The Arnhem Space Centre on the Dhupuma Plateau near Nhulunbuy will allow launch vehicles to leverage the Earth’s rotation to gain extra velocity. The rockets launched there will enable NASA scientists to observe astronomical objects that cannot be studied from the Northern Hemisphere ranges that NASA uses.

Several weeks ago, 27 NASA staff were emancipated from a fortnight’s quarantine in Howard Springs. They immediately flew east, to northeast Arnhem Land, to work with Equatorial Launch Australia and the Gumatj Traditional Owners on a project to send three rockets into orbit from next year.

If you’d asked me a few years ago if we’d be launching rockets from a space base in Arnhem Land in 2022, I’d have been a little doubtful. But the Arnhem Space Centre is now under construction and 80 personnel from NASA will arrive in June for lift-off – the first time that NASA will have ever used a commercial facility outside of the USA.

The centre, on the Dhupuma Plateau near Nhulunbuy, is just 12 degrees from the Equator, which allows launch vehicles to leverage the Earth’s rotation to gain extra velocity, improving payload-to-fuel ratios and providing significant cost savings over alternative space facilities.

The sounding rockets to be launched in 2022 will carry scientific instruments that will allow NASA scientists to observe astronomical objects that cannot be studied from the Northern Hemisphere rocket ranges that NASA uses.

I raise this venture – or adventure – because it describes how the Northern Territory is taking a diverse position in support of civil and defence enterprises, with opportunity abounding in both as we begin to loosen the Covid-19 straitjacket.

The AUKUS announcement is hugely significant for how intelligence in the Indo-Pacific is shaped and shared over coming decades. It is therefore of huge significance to Darwin, which sits at the centre of the Indo-Pacific – and at the centre of both AUKUS and the Quad.

Darwin offers the capability to train, sustain and co-ordinate allied- and partner-nation military forces in a secure location within the world’s most demanding geostrategic location. We welcome our allies and partners in the same way we welcome businesses to locate and invest here.

We are assisting both by joining high-speed subsea links to Asia to improve data flow and storage; by building a shiplift in support of defence and commercial vessels; and backing Sun Cable, the world’s largest solar network that will provide clean power for commercial and potentially for defence use.

If the Arnhem Space Centre demonstrates that the Northern Territory sees itself as a destination for business opportunities with high strategic values, we are also using other launch pads – such as our soft diplomatic efforts to bolster legal certainty for those who use the high seas in our region.

We have proposed an Indo-Pacific Civil Maritime Law Enforcement Centre for Darwin, an academic centre of maritime excellence that will provide guidance on complex legal issues relating not only to maritime borders but also to terrorism, piracy, organised crime, illegal fishing, human trafficking and climate change.

We will very likely see an increase in the annual US Marine Corps rotational force, as well as the need for greater logistic and infrastructure support in the Territory. That is already underway, with tenders let for the US government-funded strategic fuel reserve in Darwin Harbour, which will provide substantial work and opportunities for local business.

The Australian government has made significant commitments to develop strategic defence and national security capabilities in the north, including infrastructure projects, fuel storage, supply and training range upgrades.

We are well positioned to support these initiatives.

There still remains a need for the Australian, US and other governments to invest more to expand defence infrastructure in Northern Australia, just as there is a need for associated defence industries to realise the importance of basing themselves in the north.

Without further infrastructure upgrades it won’t be possible to support a stronger defence presence in Northern Australia or the projected increase in allied ships, aircraft and troops on rotation for visits, exercises and training. We are working hard to fast-track land releases so that we can offer a home to those who come in support of our defence forces.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture: Julianne Osborne

For all that, the north does not see itself as wholly defence-dependent, and Darwin does not see itself solely as a defence town. We see ourselves as a place that will feed and fuel the entire region.

As it stands, Ichthys LNG – which ships out of Darwin Harbour three times a week – will supply 10 per cent of Japan’s LNG requirements over the next four decades. It is remarkable to think that a country that once attacked us now has an interest in ensuring the northern capital remains unmolested in order to trade peacefully.

The Arnhem Space Centre tells the story of who we are and where we want to be. The Yolngu clearly understand the space vision because they are this planet’s original astronomers. They are open to this new trade, which cannot only help us understand deep space but also to repair this planet. I acknowledge their vision for space, just as I acknowledge the arrival of a greater security presence on our doorstep in the north which, if used properly, provides a greater guarantee of free and open trade for everyone.

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Michael Gunner is the Northern Territory Chief Minister.