Southern Space - 22 July

Industry News?

First Australian Rocket Manufacturer secures Australian Launch Permit: The Australian government has approved another?Australian launch that will take place in the coming months. SIAA members ATSpace and Southern Launch have announced?approval to?launch two suborbital ‘Kestel I’ rockets from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said that ‘the VS02 and VS03 launches will provide a significant amount of data that will be used to inform best practice during future launch campaigns’. ATSpace CEO Dr Yen-Sen Chen described the two launches as ‘the gateway to ATSpace’s growth and future investment in Australia and jobs for Australians’. ?

Australia and Republic of Korea Space Policy Dialogue: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hosted the Republic of Korea in Canberra to discuss multilateral space cooperation, space security and the commercial space sector. In 2021, both countries signed a MOU committing to explore ‘bilateral cooperation and support international efforts to develop norms of behaviour in space’. Australia and the Republic of Korea will enhance cooperation between their space communities through the 2022 Australia-ROK Tech Bridge, meeting the partnership’s objective to help create a safe, secure and sustainable space domain. ?

Australian Satellite Research Deal: The Australian Department of Defence has?partnered with Airbus to fast track the development of satellite technology for defence. The $40 million deal includes the purchase of two Airbus Arrow 150 satellite buses that will be outfitted with Australian technology from industry and academia.?

Electro Optics Systems Appoints a New CEO: SIAA Foundation Member Electro Optics Systems has announced the appointment of Dr Andreas Schwer as CEO, effective 1 August 2022. Dr Schwer will take the helm at a pivotal time for the company as it finalises the outcome of its Strategic Review. ?

Upgrading Australia’s Space Weather Ionosonde Network: The Bureau of Meteorology will upgrade its space weather ionosonde network to make the network more resilient, secure and reliable. Ionosondes record and collect data from the ionosphere across Australasia, Antartica and the Pacific and Indian oceans, with the ionosonde network providing space weather forecasts, alerts and warnings.?The upgrades will enhance BoM’s capacity to deliver space weather information services to Australians. While ionosonde sites are offline during planned upgrade windows, Space Weather Services will continue to provide space weather information and services to customers. ?

Space Systems Command GPS Support Contract: SIAA Foundation member Lockheed Martin has been awarded the contract to provide specialist sustainment services to maintain the GPS space vehicles to?ensure a resilient system suitable for?military and civil use. The 31 satellite GPS constellation is the standard for global navigation and is provided free to users around the world by the United States Space Force.

UK Start-up Acquisition: SIAA Member Raytheon Intelligence & Space has announced it intends to acquire UK space start up Northern Space and Security for an undisclosed value. The start-up specialises in space domain awareness, orbital analysis, space surveillance and tracking.?

Azure Space Partner Community: SIAA Foundation member Microsoft has unveiled its Azure Space Partner Community initiative this week. Microsoft Azure Space senior director Stephen Kitay said that the initiative will?help Microsoft’s ‘partners to deliver the most comprehensive and innovative offerings to our joint customers, and help shape the future of space technologies and services’. Microsoft’s space-related partners include SIAA Foundation member Viasat, with the coming looking to welcome more space-related partners in the future. ?

Australian University wins 2022 Spaceport America Cup: The University of Sydney Rocket team competed against 97 student teams from around the world to win this year’s Spaceport America Cup intercollegiate rocketry competition. The Bluewren rocket reached a height of approximately nine kilometres before successfully deploying both its parachutes to land intact three kilometres from the launch site.?

High-resolution Earth Observation Cameras: Australian space sensor manufacturer Infinity Avionics has developed high-resolution earth observation cameras to allow future Australian space missions to capture detailed Earth imaging. The camera can capture black and white, colour or multispectral images to support the Earth Observation needs of customers. ?

NASA: Based on NASA’s three planned ‘placeholder’ launch dates the Artemis 1 mission could launch as soon as next month. The Artemis 1 will undertake an uncrewed test flight around the moon to prepare for future crewed missions. To improve Space Launch System solid rocket boosters that will be used on future Artemis missions, NASA with partner with?SIAA Foundation member Northrop Grumman will partner with NASA to perform a full-scale static test of SLS solid rocket booster motors.?

China: The Chinese Tiangong space station’s first lab component has begun prelaunch preparations. The laboratory and Long March 5B rocket will undergo final tests before their planned flight in the coming days. The laboratory includes a crew work compartment, an unpressurized cargo module and a control module. ?

Asteroid Tracking: The Beijing Institute of Technology has begun constructing an array to track asteroids which may be dangerous to Earth. Two antennas have been completed so far which are expected to be operational by September, with the finished system planned to include more than 20 radar antennas. ?

SpaceX: Earlier this week SpaceX?completed its 31st launch for 2022, launching 53 Starlink satellites. The number of SpaceX launches in the first seven months of 2022 is now equal to the total number of launches the company undertook last year. ?

SIAA Advisory Council Meeting:?This week SIAA held an Advisory Council meeting to discuss SIAA's work and upcoming events. Thank you to HEO Robotics for both hosting the meeting at their Sydney office and demonstrating their capability to the Advisory Council. We look forward to our next Advisory Council meeting, scheduled to be held in October in Brisbane.?

SIAA Advisory Council Meeting hosted in HEO Robotics Sydney offices

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Industry Opportunities ?

Australian Space Agency Applied Space Medicine and Life Sciences Roadmap – Opportunity for Industry Feedback ?

SIAA has been asked to seek feedback from companies working in the areas of applied spaced medicine and life sciences on the Australian Space Agency Roadmap covering these topics. Companies interested in providing feedback on the Draft Roadmap should email [email protected] for more information. The deadline for feedback is 1 August. ?

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Upcoming Events?

CUBESAT2022: Cubesat & Smallsat Innovation Workshop?

Where: UNSW CBD Campus Level 7, 1 O’Connell St Sydney ?

When: 9:00am – 5:00pm Wednesday 3 August – Thursday 4 August?

The Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research at UNSW Sydney will hold a 2-day, in-person workshop?targeted specifically to those who are actively engaged (or seeking to be engaged) in cubesat/smallsat missions, supporting services or infrastructure within Australia. The event will?gather in-person speakers and delegates from around Australia, with speakers from a broad spectrum of industry, start-ups, research, government and more.?

Register here. ?

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Sydney Space Workforce and Industry Drinks?

Where: Atomic Brewery, 158 Regent St Redfern??

When: From 5pm onwards Thursday 28th July?

SIAA would like to invite Sydney space industry professionals to an informal drinks at Atomic Brewery. All space professionals are welcome across industry, academia and government. There is no need to RSVP, but please feel free to register your attendance on the Buena Astra Social Club LinkedIn page?here.

We hope to see you there!?

For more information, please email [email protected]?

SIAA Foundation Member Profile: Optus ?

Optus is Australia’s largest and most experienced satellite owner and operator, with five satellites currently in orbit providing satellite services across Australia and New Zealand and to McMurdo Sound in the Antarctic.?

Optus provides critical national infrastructure to over 10 million Australians every day and Optus is the only operator in Australia to provide 100% network coverage through our terrestrial mobile network and satellite services.?

For more than 35 years Optus has been Australia’s preeminent satellite provider, launching 10 satellites, operating 13 spacecraft, and providing support to over 100 international space programs. Since 2003, Optus has flown the C1 Satellite – which provides critical mission capabilities for Defence operations and, at the time of launch, was the world’s largest Defence-civilian spacecraft.?

Currently, Optus is planning to launch its 11th spacecraft and the Asia-Pacific’s first software-defined Ku-band satellite, named OPTUS 11, and soon Optus will utilise the world’s first Mission Robotic Vehicle and Mission Extension Pod to extend the life of its D3 spacecraft.?

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

Header Image Credit: "Europe and Africa from the International Space Station" (NASA.GOV)