Southern Space - 17 March

Southern Space is a weekly newsletter produced by SIAA to inform the Australian space industry?

Industry News

Australian Company to Provide Hypersonic Vehicles to US Defence Innovation Unit:?SIAA member?Hypersonix ?has been selected to provide hypersonic vehicles for testing for the US Defence Innovation Unit (DIU). Hypersonix’s DART AE vehicle was selected from the 63 respondents to the DIU contract under the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT1) program. The program sought vehicles usable for high cadence, long-endurance testing of hypersonic platforms and components, sensors for detecting and tracking and communications systems. Managing Director of Hypersonix David Waterhouse noted of the selection that “This puts Australia one step closer to being a major player in the international space race”.?

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Australian Space Agency MOU with Defence Aviation Safety Authority:?Last month the?Australian Space Agency ?signed an MOU with the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA) to develop a common approach to the regulation of space activities. DASA was established in July 2022 with the aim of establishing regulation for military space safety and mission assurance. General Manager of the Office of the Space Regulator Christopher De Luis noted that “This MoU aims to ensure aligned pathways for Australian regulatory applicants to engage in both civil and Defence-focussed space activities, avoiding duplication and also providing opportunities to jointly grow Australian space regulatory capability”.?

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Australian Made Satellites Integrated with Electric Propulsion System:?SIAA member?Skykraft ?has integrated Neumann Space’s in-space electric propulsion system onto Skykraft’s Australian designed and manufactured satellite. CEO of Skykraft Dr Michael Frater noted that the integration “supports innovation in the broader Australian space community and has the opportunity to work with our world leading companies”.?

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LeoLabs to Develop 3rd Southern Hemisphere Radar Site:?SIAA member?LeoLabs ?has announced that the site of its next space radar will be located on the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. The radar site is less than 5000 kilometres from Argentina and was selected to its high latitude that will allow LeoLabs to monitor high-risk conjunctions that typically occur above 60 degrees latitude.??

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Australian Space Company Funding to Fast Track Defence Contract:?SIAA member?Quasar Satellite Technologies ?has announced $6 million of pre-Series A funding. Quasar intends to use the funds to continue to fast-track its $5.3 million Defence contract, develop more efficient and powerful phased arrays in multiple RF bands and growing its current team to 24 people by the end of the year.?

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MOU to bring Mission Academy to Australia: Last month, SIAA member?AROSE ?signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the MILO Space Science Institute to bring Mission Academy program to young Australian space enthusiasts. The MILO Academy is a 12-week program designed to support university and TAFE students, as well as early career professionals by offering participants hands-on learning and insight into the world of space. AROSE Program Director Michelle Keegan noted of the MOU that ‘the MILO Academy makes space accessible to everyone, no matter what their background or financial position’.??

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Fleet Space Technologies Appoints New CMO:?SIAA member?Fleet Space Technologies ?has appointed Chloe Leclerc as its new Chief Marketing Officer to continue to build the company’s presence in the Australian and North American markets as a solution provider of satellite-based critical minerals exploration technology.?

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China: China has launched two Earth Observation?satellites ?this week to boost the country’s EO and mapping capabilities. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has not published details of the payloads or capabilities of the satellites. This is the eigthth mission launched from China this year.?

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3D-Printed Rocket Launch Aborted:?The launch of?Relativity Space’s ?3D-printed rocket Terran 1 was aborted earlier this week due to weather and safety delays. Terran 1 is designed to launch small satellites into LEO, with the 33-metre rocket not carrying any payloads on its first mission. Following launch delays due to high winds, the launch attempt was aborted less than half a second before liftoff due to an issue with the rocket’s stage separation automation.??

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UK Ground Station Company Purchases US COMSAT Teleports: Goonhilly has finalised the purchase to two?US COMSAT teleports ?to expand its services around the world. The company also announced plans to develop a ground station in Western Australia, backed by the UK-Australia Space Bridge.?

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NASA Unveils Artemis Mission Spacesuits:?NASA has unveiled a?prototype spacesuit ?developed by Axiom Space for future Artemis missions. Axiom Space was awarded the $228.5 million contract to design the suit, which can be worn by astronauts for up to 8 hours at a time. The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon by late 2025.??

Industry Opportunities

International Space Investment India Project Grants Open

This week, the Australian Space Agency has opened the International Space Investments India Projects (ISI India Projects) grant program. Over the next 4 years, the program will grant $20.69 million in funding to enable Australian businesses and research organisations to undertake joint projects with the Indian space sector.?The program has identified a series of mutual priority areas including: EO, PNT, advanced manufacturing for space, AI for space-based applications, applied space medicine and life sciences, SSA and debris mitigation, cyber security projects, science and exploration services and space projects for industry resilience, workforce and skills development.??

Applications close Tuesday 13 June.?Find out more here. ?

Job Opportunities

View new job postings on?SIAA’s Southern Space Jobs Board ?to see what job opportunities are available in the space industry. See new jobs from SIAA members Inmarsat, Raytheon Australia and Southern Launch.

SIAA members can advertise job positions for free on the Southern Space Jobs board. For more information, please email?[email protected] ??

SIAA Member Profile: Quickstep Technologies

Quickstep Technologies ?is an aviation and advanced?component?manufacturing company?providing?advanced composite solutions to the aerospace, defence, commercial, government and other advanced manufacturing sectors. Headquartered at Bankstown Airport, Sydney, Quickstep Technologies has additional?facilities?in Melbourne, Geelong,?and a representative office in Dallas, Texas.???

Quickstep manufactures complex composite parts and assemblies in a wide range of applications, alongside the design,?development?and manufacturing of engineered?products?for clients.?The company’s R&D portfolio includes design engineering, materials development and testing, process design and automation, and program management.???

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In?June ?2022, Quickstep Technologies?commenced?a project co-funded by the company and the Department of Defence to?identify, analyse and test high-temperature materials for the development of hypersonic aerostructures.??

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Header Image Credit: A Sunset Stretches Cloud Shadows Over Tanzania?(NASA.GOV , 13-01-23)?