It’s a mission of Moonshot proportions — to create an additional 20,000 jobs and triple the size of the space sector to $12 billion in a mere 10 years. “We know we can achieve those targets,” says Anthony Murfett, deputy head of the Australian Space Agency. “Space impacts on the broader economy. As we increase space activity we’re going to be assisting farmers, miners and others, so there will be spillover effects.

“Then, if we look at just the space industry itself, it’s been growing at more than 7 per cent a year and the agency will provide the co-ordination aspect. We will be the catalyst for conversations.”

The Federal Government decided in December 2018 to base the Australian Space Agency in Adelaide, allocating an initial $41 million to the initiative. It is a key element in a City Deal centred on Lot Fourteen — site of the former Royal Adelaide Hospital on Adelaide’s prestigious North Tce. The decision “builds on the very strong technology and defence presence in the state,” Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Karen Andrews said at the time.

The agency will oversee a Mission Control Centre at Lot Fourteen where commercial or government operators can manage operations. It is working with Canberra’s national science educator Questacon to establish a Space Discovery Centre at Lot Fourteen with permanent and occasional exhibitions and events for the public. The Federal Government is contributing $6 million to each of those initiatives.

media_camera Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke in front of the rover vehicle on the surface of the moon.

“The agency will be a centrepiece in what is a thriving space economy here in Adelaide,” Murfett says. “Space is real for Australia: there are going to be jobs here for the future. Young people don’t need to go overseas.

“What’s really exciting is the massive transformation we’ve seen. We’ve gone from a space sector largely driven by governments into a nimble industry where companies small, medium and large can engage. That means two things for Australia — firstly, space technologies can be used to help the broader economy. We have companies in Australia using space to help farmers manage their land. They no longer need to drive hundreds of kilometres checking infrastructure. They can sit at home and look at their phone to check out a water tank or see where their stock are.

“The second exciting part is how accessible it’s becoming, how companies can get engaged because of shorter innovation cycles, technology getting smaller and launch becoming cheaper. It’s not just about getting to space — it’s about how we use space to help us.”

The agency is mandated to create a globally respected space industry. It is guided by a recently released Australian Civil Space Strategy which sets out seven priority areas:

• Position, navigation, timing;

• Earth observation;

• Communications, technologies and services;

• Space situational awareness and debris monitoring;

• Leapfrog research and development;

• Robotics and automation;

• Access to space.

The Federal Government is investing more than $300 million in the first area, targeted especially at improving GPS from an accuracy of 10m to 10cm nationwide and to 5cm within mobile reception zones, vital for sectors such as agriculture, mining and banking and in future for autonomous vehicles and remote operations. Under the Earth observation priority, 30 years of satellite imagery has been made public and will be constantly updated, facilitating analysis of developments and trends.

Australia’s unique geographical position and climate create extraordinary opportunities in communication, Murfett says. “We’ve already had instrumental roles in projects such as supporting the Apollo mission. The pictures of Neil Armstrong were relayed from Australia because we can see things the Northern Hemisphere can’t see.”

Apollo 11: First moonwalk turns 50 It is exactly 50 years since the Apollo 11 mission to land a man on the surface of the moon took place.

Space situational awareness and debris management will become increasing important as the number of objects in space soars. Leapfrog research will look at initiatives such as using AI — augmented intelligence — to curate and edit data from satellites, using quantum communication and employing optical rather than radio transmission links.

Australia’s world-leading robotics and remote operation expertise — such as driving mine trucks in the Pilbara from offices in Perth — put the nation ahead in a core business area for space. The final priority of encouraging access to space involves the agency as regulator and administrator of launch and other activities.

The Australian Space Agency has opened a temporary office on Flinders St in the city until the McEwin building at Lot Fourteen is refurbished.