The ACT has been quick out of the blocks to make a play for business in the nation’s new space industry, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Space Agency to work together in each other’s interest.
The first Jurisdiction in Australia to sign up with the Agency, the MoU outlines how the ACT will work with it to develop areas important to Canberra’s space sector, including quantum communications, deep space communications, debris monitoring, earth observation services, space law and defence-related space activities.
Announcing the MoU, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it would promote the use of national facilities based in the ACT, support the city’s emerging space start-up ecosystem, and attract investment into Canberra to support the growth of the Australian space sector.
“While we were obviously disappointed that the National Space Agency will be moved from Canberra to South Australia, we want to ensure that the ACT’s own space industry can continue to grow,” Mr Barr said.
“With nearly one in four Australian space industry jobs based in Canberra, we recognise that building partnerships in this sector will strengthen the local and national industry and create more jobs here.”
He said Canberra had been a major contributor to the global space industry for more than 50 years, from transmitting signals and images from the first moon landing and Mars, to exporting world-leading telescope technology, designing and manufacturing cube satellites and tracking world-leading space debris.
“Canberra is the driving force behind Australia’s space industry,” Mr Barr said.
“It has the infrastructure, businesses, research strengths and education and training systems to support civil, commercial and defence space applications,” he said.
“With the global space industry worth $420 billion per annum and growing at 10 per cent each year, this MoU will give Canberra and Australia the competitive edge we need to succeed in this lucrative industry.”
