The heads of the world’s major space agencies have praised Australia’s decision to finally establish a national agency of its own.
The Australian Government used the opening of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, South Australia, to announce a national space agency would be established by the nation. This announcement follows months of lobbying by the Space Industry Association of Australia and the South Australian Government. Details of how the agency will be set up are yet to be announced.
Heads of space agencies, from left, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Head Igor Komarov, European Space Agency Director General Jan Woerner, China National Space Administration (CNSA) Secretary General Tian Yulong and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President Naoki Okumura at the International Astronautical Congress in South Australia.
The IAC congress is being attended by the heads of the world’s largest space agencies, all of whom praised Australia’s decision.
NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot stated that the new agency would provide an excellent opportunity to increase the collaboration with Australia. “From a NASA perspective, we’ve had a great partnership with Australia for a long time and I look forward to seeing which areas Australia decides to focus on,” he said. “I think that will be their challenge but there’s enough room for them to participate in what we’re doing. It’s a global endeavor — we’re all here for that reason — and I think Australia not being a part of that (until now) is a little bit strange.”
European Space Agency Director General Jan Woerner said having a national agency provided a good access point for space interactions with other nations. “We welcome this very much,” he said. “There are two aspects to this: One is the national development and capacity building so you have a voice in your own country but at the same time you have a voice to the outer world. At the beginning of the ‘60s, Australia was an associate member of the European Launch and Development Organisation (ELDO), so we are really happy we can continue our strong cooperation.”
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President Naoki Okumura said his agency was already working with Australia on Earth Observation satellite activities, but the new agency would lead to even closer ties. “In the future, we would like to work more closely with Australia in order to become an innovation centre and strengthen our relationship,” he said.
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Sylvain Laporte said establishing a national space program was not without its challenges. “There’s a ton of opportunities and things you can do, but there’s always limited resources,” he said. “Putting in place a sound governance system that will allow the space agency to make the right decisions, to prioritize what it should do and to make sure it can make the best pitch possible to politicians to secure as much funding as is required for this country to invest in space I think would be a good first step.”
Until now, Australia was one of the only OECD countries without a national space agency.
More than 4,200 delegates have registered for the congress, the world’s biggest space meeting of the year, making it the largest conference ever staged in South Australia and an ideal opportunity to show off the $397 million Adelaide Convention Centre redevelopment.
Space Industry Association of Australia Chair Michael Davis said the SIAA was thrilled with the announcement and expected the agency would be a collaboration between government and industry. “What a start to this congress,” he said. “The aim is to deliver clear economic benefit to the Australian economy and of course, to re-enforce our status as a participant of long-standing in the development of outer space. We will soon take our place at the table of space agencies as major initiatives and cooperative projects are considered and developed. We have the capacity, the science, the skills, the research and development environment, the culture, the industry nous. Now we have the standing of the Australian Space Agency.”
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the week presented an opportunity for the state to send a bold message to the world. “We are ready to put ourselves in the service of this nation by becoming a key part of a national space agency,” he told the congress. “We are also sending a clear message to the world that we want to work with you — as our state logo suggests — as an open door to opportunity.”
The SIAA launched a White Paper in March calling on the Australian Government to establish a national space agency.
Last month Weatherill and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together towards the creation of a Canberra-based space agency with a prominent presence in Adelaide. The State Government last week also announced a space industry centre was being established in Adelaide as part and increased Defence Industries Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith’s portfolio will include space.Article by Andrew Spence, The Lead South Australia.
