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NASA boost for Australian Space Agency

Posted September 23, 2019

The new Australian Space Agency has been boosted with a $150 million investment by the Federal Government into Australian businesses and new technologies that will support NASA on its inspirational campaign to return to the Moon and travel to Mars.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the five-year investment, which will see the The Agency foster new ideas and highly skilled jobs to make Australian businesses partners of choice to fit out NASA missions.

The Agency will work closely with NASA to identify how it can best support the missions after the signing of a joint Statement of Intent on expanding cooperation.

Australian businesses and researchers will have the opportunity to showcase their immense knowledge and capabilities in projects that can support NASA’s Moon to Mars mission, such as Project Artemis and the Lunar Gateway.

The government’s investment will also support Australian businesses to become more competitive in international space supply chains and to increase Australia’s share in a growing US$350 billion global space market.

Prime Minister Morrison announced in December that Lot Fourteen, Australia’s most exciting innovation neighbourhood, would become the home of the new Australian Space Agency.

South Australia already has a growing space industry of more than 80 organisations and it is a focus sector at Lot Fourteen. Three space businesses have already established in the neighbourhood – Myriota, Inovor Technogies and Neumann Space. In addition to The Agency, the Space Discovery Centre, Mission Control Centre and the $150m SmartSat CRC will also establish at Lot Fourteen.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the $150m investment would benefit all Australians with more jobs, new technologies and more investment in businesses that would grow the economy.

“We’re backing Australian businesses to the moon, and even Mars, and back,” the Prime Minister said.

“We’re getting behind Australian businesses so they can take advantage of the pipeline of work NASA has committed to.

“There is enormous opportunity for Australia’s space sector which is why we want to triple its size to $12 billion to create around 20,000 extra jobs by 2030.

“We’ve partnered with the US in almost all of their missions to space for the last 60 years and this investment paves the way for the next 60. The growing amount of space sector work and innovation will also inspire the next generation to see the future of a career in these fields for the long term.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews said the agreement would take the Australian space sector to the next level, grow the economy and create new local jobs.

“Space also drives technology which has a profound and everyday impact on the lives of Australians – from disaster management, to helping farmers better manage their land and predict drought, through to improving GPS.

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