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Australia in Space Magazine, Issue 3, 2022 - EDITOR'S DESK
"We know the development of critical technologies present enormous potential opportunities, as well as risks for Australians. It is vital we understand and send a clear signal about what technologies we should be focusing on and where our strengths lie.” - The Hon. Ed Husic, Federal Minister for Industry and Science, 22 August 2022
There has been a lot to celebrate in the Australian space sector for 2022. Most notably is the three successful NASA mission launches conducted in late June and early July by Equatorial Launch Australia. Three successive launches, in 15 days, from the Arnhem Space Centre, a remote location in the Northern Territory, is a significant achievement.
ATSpace and Southern Launch have also gained approvals to launch two suborbital “Kestrel I” rockets from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. The VS02 and VS03 missions will fly the experimental Kestrel I rockets along sub-orbital trajectories to incrementally test the rocket design under different operating conditions.
Southern Launch’s Chief Executive Officer, Lloyd Damp, highlighted the complex work taking place to support the launches and the significance of the data to be collected. “We have seen significant progress across Australia’s space industry over recent months. For Southern Launch to be supporting Australia’s most complex commercial space launches from our site is a remarkable achievement.”
Fleet will continue its work on the Centauri Program, having launched its fifth and sixth satellites in 2021, and the next batch of satellites this year. APC Technology recently conducted vibration testing in compliance with the NASA-GEVS standard for Fleet’s - Flight models Centauri 6, 7, and 8 plus a backup flight model. In addition, Fleet Space have started testing their A1 payload structure tests.
Airbus announced it will form part of the Australian Space Park, based in Adelaide, to deliver Australian industry capabilities to produce large-scale satellites up to 300kg. The Australian Space Park will be the nation’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub and, once in operation, will boost space manufacturing capability and capacity within a purpose-built facility.
The Geospatial Goods and Services Standing Offer Panel (GeoPanel) established by Defence will procure Geospatial goods, services and relevant emerging geospatial technologies. The GeoPanel provides the framework for Australian Defence Organisation and Defence Portfolio Agencies to collaborate with industry and identify innovative geospatial data in support of Australia’s defence and national interests.
Though Australia in space is not just about rockets and satellites launching from Australian soil. Broader efforts are also being made to garner interest and attention of a much needed, future workforce. During National Science Week, STEM ambassador Jarli, a First Nations girl who dreams of reaching the stars, hitched a ride to the International Space Station on the NASA SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS-24 mission. Beginning in the Aussie outback, the story ends with a ‘first-of-its-kind’ Australian neuromorphic sensor transmitting data from space.
From an award winning animated short film, Jarli was developed by the University of Technology Sydney Animal Logic Academy for the Royal Australian Air Force. In a bid to get Jarli to space in reality, she was lasercut onto the space-based sensor casing for Project Falcon Neuro – a joint initiative between the Western Sydney University and US Air Force Academy.
We have also seen continued, world leading academic research, including a new mathematical model developed by space medicine experts from the Australian National University (ANU) which can be used to predict whether an astronaut can safely travel to Mars and fulfil their mission duties upon stepping foot on the Red Planet. The ANU team simulated the impact of prolonged exposure to zero gravity on the cardiovascular system and whether the human body can tolerate Mars’ gravitational forces without fainting or suffering a medical emergency when stepping out of a spacecraft.
Congratulations also to Sofia McLeod of the University of Adelaide, David Smith of the University of Tasmania and Julian Guinane of the University of Sydney, on being selected for their research proposals in the fields of space science and engineering. As part of the Jupiter Program, supported by Electro Optic Systems (EOS) and the Andy Thomas Space Foundation (ATSF), also known as the ATSF EOS Space Systems Research Awards each received a sponsorship of AU$10,000.
In this edition, for Australia in Space TV amongst the special interviews, in the only NASA-accredited Australian public program to celebrate the first images to come off the James Webb space telescope, we speak with Dr Robin Cook, Research Associate with the University of WA. Robin spoke on behalf of the International Space Centre, as a mission partner and member of the Astronomy from Space Node.
In this edition we again cover the full diversity of the Australian and international space industry and as Official Media Partners to the Australian Space Forum look forward to seeing you there in Adelaide in October.
As always, there is so much more to touch on. Enjoy the reading, watching and listening.
Chris Cubbage CISA, GAICD Executive Editor.
