The Australian Government has announced it will establish a national space agency.
Acting Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Michaelia Cash, said the establishment of a space agency is one of the key issues being examined by the Expert Reference Group appointed to review Australia’s space industry capability.
“The global space industry is growing rapidly and it’s crucial that Australia is part of this growth,” she said.
“A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry. The agency will be the anchor for our domestic coordination and the front door for our international engagement.”
The Government announced the review of Australia’s space industry capability in July and the membership of the Expert Review Group, chaired by former CSIRO chief executive Dr Megan Clark.
This group has sought views from across the country from industry, government and society, which will be used to inform our plan to expand this important and exciting sector.
It has received almost 200 written submissions in response to its issues paper, and more than 400 people have been consulted through roundtables in each state and territory.
Meetings have also been held with key stakeholders, including the state and territory governments. It will now develop a charter for the space agency for inclusion in the wider strategy being brought forward by the end of March 2018.
Michael Davis, Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), said they expect to be actively involved in the detailed planning for the new agency.
"We anticipate it will be a partnership between Government and industry. The aim is to deliver clear economic benefit to the Australian economy and of course, to reinforce our status as a participant of long-standing in the development of outer space," said Davis.
"We will soon take our place at the table of space agencies as major initiatives and cooperative projects are considered and developed. Australia has always played a significant role, but we have fallen behind the major nations, especially the European ones and now we can quickly play catch up in this $US330 billion industry. We have the capacity, the science, the skills, the research and development environment, the culture, the industry nous. Now we have the standing of the Australian Space Agency."
[An artist's impression of the UNSW-EC0 satellite in orbit. Image: UNSW]