Australia Space Insights: Issue #2
Good afternoon and welcome to the second issue of the Australia Space Insights newsletter!
We've had a busy week, following the 17th Australian Space Forum with a raft of new announcements and partnerships going forward. This heralds an exciting future and proven prospects for the Australian space industry, especially its launch sector for the decades ahead!
US-AUS Treaty Comes Into Effect
As of the 23rd of July 2024, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the United States has officially come into force. This landmark treaty-level agreement now allows for American space agencies, companies, startups and universities to use Australian spaceports for launches. It provides a legal framework and technical guidelines to protect sensitive US space technology from unauthorized access, indicating a high level of trust between the Australian and American space industries.
This opens the path forward for further cooperation and a wider scope for expanding Australian space launch operations. Ed Husic MP announced the beginning of the pact on Thursday, remarking:
“It strikes a balance between protecting sensitive US technology while unlocking new commercial opportunities for Australian companies... “With the TSA in place, it’s estimated Australian spaceport operators could supply between 45 and 95 space launches over the next decade with a value of between $460 million to 1.2 billion."
Southern Launch Set to Launch New Missions
South Korean spacecraft manufacturer UNASTELLA Corporation have announced a new agreement with Southern Launch, to use their spaceport facilities to launch at least four missions every year, starting in late 2025.
Southern Launch has also announced signing a Range Facility Agreement with SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) , to return their payload capsules, the RED-25 on-demand payload return capsules, to their Koonibba Test Range.
New Australian-Indian Partnerships Announced
Additionally, multiple further collaborations between Indian and Australian startups were announced by the Indian delegation to the Australian Space Forum, cementing the partnership between both countries' space industries.
Australian satellite manufacturer HEX20 has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TakeMe2Space , which will integrate the latter's AI subsystems and modules into HEX20's flatsat spacecraft in the future.
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They have also signed an MoU with OrbitAID Aerospace , which will allow for a collaboration to develop future satellite-refuelling systems and craft; a vital innovation which will allow for extending the operational life of satellites, and thereby reduce the accumulation of used satellites as spacejunk in Earth's orbit.
SmartSat CRC New Zealand Initiatives & NSW Grant
The SmartSat CRC consortium has announced four new partnerships with the New Zealand government to deliver jointly-funded missions, which will utilize spaceborne and ground observations. The partnership with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will also work with Australian and NZ universities and firms.
In addition, the NSW Space+ Program was recently unveiled, with a new $500,000 grant for developing the NSW space industry, with Investment NSW .
Applications close on Friday, 30 August 2024. Applications and further information here:
Space School Launching
Australian company Robinson Aerospace Systems has announced its new partnerships with The Exploration Company and Space Elevator for Project Space Call!
Developing the payload bus and structure for their first orbital payload, Robinson's RASCube-1 is yet another Australian spacecraft highlighting our domestic spacecraft development industry.
Space Call will deliver technology developed by secondary school students from Australia, Rwanda, Singapore, Colombia, Ukraine, the UAE and the United States. With the payload bus assembled, it is now awaiting final testing before clearing for launch in the near future!
Thank you for reading this second issue of Australia Space Insights. Looking forward to bringing you more updates and insights in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
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