Mission Control closer to lift off at Lot Fourteen

Australia’s first Mission Control Centre is one step closer to being created at Lot Fourteen with the announcement this week of an Australian company to establish the facility.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews announced that Saber Astronautics would establish the state-of-the-art centre, which will provide facilities for space businesses and researchers to control satellite and space missions and a live link to the International Space Station so visitors can watch astronauts on-board.

Both the Mission Control Centre and the interactive and educational Space Discovery Centre are set to open in early 2021 and will be co-located with the Australian Space Agency headquarters at Lot Fourteen.

Minister Andrews said the Mission Control Centre would help grow Australia’s space sector, which would play an important role in the nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People may question why focus on space when things are so tough here on Earth, but this is about investing in our future and developing an emerging industry which can grow our economy and create new jobs,” she said.

“The Mission Control Centre will support the creation of high-tech jobs and boost the growth of space-based communication technologies and services sectors.

“Space is also an incredible tool which can help other Australian industries to grow – from making our farmers more productive to giving our advanced manufacturers new supply chains to become a part of.”

Saber Astronautics will receive $6 million from the Federal Government to establish the facility, while the Government of South Australia will invest $2.5 million through the Adelaide City Deal – a 10-year agreement between the federal and state governments and the City of Adelaide.

Premier Steven Marshall said Mission Control would confirm SA as a global leader in the booming space industry.

Artists’ impressions of inside the Mission Control Centre at Lot Fourteen.

“Our state is at the heart of the nation’s endeavour to triple the size of the Australian space sector by 2030, creating thousands of jobs”,” he said.

“This presents unprecedented job opportunities to current and future generations – something that will be critical to the economic recovery of our state post COVID-19.”

In addition to the Australian Space Agency and the future Mission Control and Space Discovery centres, Lot Fourteen is also the home of the SmartSat CRC and space industry businesses Myriota, Inovor Technologies, Neumann Space and SITAEL Australia.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the Sabre Astronautics announcement was another step forward in the delivery of the Adelaide City Deal, which was bringing more jobs and economic investment to Adelaide.

“It’s the City Deal working like it should, through coordinated activity and investment from all three levels of government.”

Head of the Australian Space Agency Dr Megan Clark AC said Mission Control would become a focal point for Australia’s national space activities.

“The centre will be available for use by start-ups and small-to-medium enterprises, as well as research and educational institutions to control space assets. It will also be used for real-time testing and fast-tracking the improvement of satellite technology.”

The Federal Government is investing close to $700 million in the space sector as part of its goal to triple its size to $12 billion and add up to an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030.