Opportunities for Australian businesses to collaborate with international space agencies has widened, with the Australian Space Agency signing four agreements.
International agencies the German Aerospace Centre, Italian Space Agency, and New Zealand Space Agency signed agreements covering cooperative projects for research, policy, and the application of industrial technologies.
Announced at the 70th International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC, where Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, is representating Australian industry, grow Australia’s space opportunities.
“Australia is never going to be the biggest player, but by engaging our businesses and researchers with other space agencies and industry players around the world, we can carve out our place globally and reap the economic rewards,” said Andrews.
The three separate agreements each work towards an area of strategic capability. With the Italian Space Agency, space weather, health care, education will be the focus of joint projects, while the agencies develop shared space policy and regulation.
The letter of intent signed with the German Aerospace Centre covers biomedical research in space conditions and quantum technologies, among other areas.
The partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency will further cement the ties between space industry ecosystems across the Tasman sea, especially in areas such as launch and orbital/suborbital missions, ground segment networks and remote asset management.
In addition to the agency agreements, the Australian Space Agency also signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation with Maxar Technologies. The US-based company works on systems such as Earth imagery, machine learning and analytics, satellites and spacecraft, and robotics.
The agreements all aim to expand Australia’s domestic space sector, as Minister Andrews explained.
“These new agreements with the Italian, German and New Zealand space agencies build on that investment as we work to triple the size of the sector in Australia to $12 billion and create 20,000 new jobs by 2030.”