Southern Space - 23 October

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

Industry News

Near Collision between Australian Commercial Satellite and Chinese Satellite Released: Details of a near collision between an Australian commercial satellite operated by SIAA member Skykraft and a Chinese military satellite were released this week. The initial miss distance was predicted to be 100 metres 24 hours before the collision. A manoeuvre by the Chinese satellite increased the miss distance to 978 metres, as reported by SIAA member LeoLabs Australia. Australian Defence Space Command worked closely with the Australian satellite owner and operator Skykraft to manage the incident.? ?

Low-cost Earth Observation Platform Backed by Lockheed Martin Australia: SIAA Foundation Member Lockheed Martin Australia is the latest organisation to invest in Sydney-based start-up Arlula. Arlula’s platform aggregates EO images from a variety of providers providing services to both private users and commercial customers from a range of industries. Earlier this year Arlula received $2.2 million funding in its latest seed round. ?

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Australian Space Company Signs MoU to Address Space Debris: SIAA member EOS Space Systems has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese laser fusion start-up EX-Fusion. Under the MoU, the companies will explore the usage of high-power laser technologies developed for laser fusion purposes to help address the challenge of space debris. EOS Space Systems Executive Vice President James Bennett noted that “EX-Fusion’s work in laser-powered nuclear fusion complements our expertise in lasers and presents the potential for innovative solutions to the space debris problem”. ?

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EMA Advisory Expands Services: SIAA member EMA Advisory has announced the expansion of its services to better support its valued clients. The organisation’s new division, EMA Legal, is a registered law firm providing Corporate and Commercial Law for Australian industry clients. EMA is proud to extend its support to the Australian space industry, with a dedicated team that combines legal expertise with a significant understanding in government space capabilities. EMA staff are NV1 security-cleared with experience working on government space projects. ?

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iLAuNCH Opens Second Funding Round: SIAA member iLAuNCH has announced a second funding round to accelerate the development of the space manufacturing sector. New iLAuNCH projects must be undertaken with either the University of Southern Queensland, the Australian National University or the University of South Australia and fall under one of the trailblazer’s core commercialisation project areas. iLAuNCH Executive Director and SIAA Board Member Darin Lovett stated that “The iLAuNCH Trailblazer is a $180-million program to transform Australia’s competitiveness by rapidly commercialising university research through industry partnerships. Our efforts directly enhance Australia’s burgeoning space industry.” Applications close Monday 20 November, and iLAuNCH will hold an information session on Wednesday 1 November. Details for the information session can be found here . ?

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Australian Spaceport Appoints New GM: SIAA member Equatorial Launch Australia has announced the appointment of Craig Gibbons as its new General Manager, Arnhem Space Centre. As General Manager, Gibbons will oversee the phase 2 development of the spaceport and support ELA’s new ‘resident launcher’ operating model – a multi-user commercial spaceport servicing several co-located ‘newspace’ rocket companies, each conducting multiple launches over multi-year campaigns. ?

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Space Technology to Increase Efficiency of Maritime Industry: SIAA member Spire Global has been selected by MAN Energy Solutions to provide weather data and real-time automatic identification system vessel-tracking data to optimise efficiency and decrease carbon emissions across the maritime industry. To further accelerate the rate of digitalization in the maritime industry, MAN-ES and Spire will also collaborate on the development of AI models designed to analyse engine data and create more cost-efficient solutions for customers.?

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Blue Origin: Following a probe into an uncrewed New Shephard rocket crash late last year, the US Federal Aviation Administration has advised that Blue Origin must complete 21 corrective actions before it can resume launches. This news follows an announcement by Blue Origin last week that the company will develop an orbital transfer vehicle . ?

Industry Opportunities

AMRF Invitation for First Projects ?

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility is inviting business across NSW to submit first projects. The state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) is set to open in Bradfield City Centre in 2024 and will provide the facilities, experts, and equipment for manufacturers to develop next generation solutions for the production, scale up, and commercialisation of prototypes, upskill staff, and enable collaboration between industry and research partners. Participating businesses will have access to a team of knowledgeable experts who will collaboratively develop, protype, test, and improve your innovative ideas, without the large outlay of investment and associated risk. More information about initial project submissions can be found here. Submissions will initial projects close on Tuesday 14 November with more information available on the WPCA website .?

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An Industry briefing event will be held on-line and in-person on 24 October.?Register your interest here .?

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Design a Sample Collection System for Australia’s Lunar Rover?

ELO2 invites space enthusiasts to design a system to collect soil from the Moon and deposit it at a NASA run facility as part of the ELO2 Big Dipper Regolith Acquisition Challenge. Participants will build a collection system for the ELO2 Australian-made, semi-autonomous rover that aims to be part of a future mission to the Moon, with ten challenge winners sharing in a $15,000 prize pool. The challenge aims to deliver next generation space capability that can also have innovative and useful applications on Earth. The ELO2 consortium includes companies SIAA member Lunar Outpost Oceania and EPE Trusted to Protect. ?

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Find out more about the ELO2 Big Dipper Regolith Acquisition Challenge 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.

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

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Header Image Credit:?Archive- Rivers of Paraguay (NASA, ISS, 22-12-05)?