In this January 28, 1986 image, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, shortly before it exploded with a crew of seven aboard. Picture: Thom Baur

In this January 28, 1986 image, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, shortly before it exploded with a crew of seven aboard. Picture: Thom Baur

IN OCTOBER last year the Queensland State Government opened an inquiry into the possibility of the Queensland coastline being used to stage a space launch service.

Now that the Australian Space Agency is well established in Adelaide, it is time for the Queensland Government to make good on its promise to deliver hundreds of new jobs to the Queensland economy by establishing a spaceport on Cape York, most preferably at Weipa.

Weipa is the ideal location as it is close to the equator, meaning a rocket gets more momentum thrust from the Earth's rotation, hence saving heaps of dollars on launch fuel costs. It also has a port where rockets can be shipped in and is close to some resemblance of civilisation.

Perhaps this country needs something akin to the United Launch Alliance in the United States, being the main NASA contractor for space launch services in competition with SpaceX. Maybe, just maybe we could call it the Australian Launch Alliance.

While the Australian Space Agency (ASA) is like Australia's NASA, being the government run overseer of space activities, the Australian Launch Alliance (ALA) will be the national overseer of launch activities, a smaller subset of our total space industry.

DAVE FREDERICKS, Toowoomba