news, latest-news

There are people who shoot lasers at space debris. Others who consider the implications of advancements in space technology and warn against space terrorism. People who build widgets for satellites. Australia's space industry is growing despite the fact the nation remains one of two in the 34 OECD countries without a space agency. Even New Zealand - New Zealand! - boasts its own. And Canberra is at the centre of Australia's space surge. UNSW Canberra has committed $10 million a year for five years to build a space program in the capital, while the government and the Australian National University have committed tens of millions of dollars to different projects and infrastructure. It's an industry worth more than $300 billion internationally - and the ACT is keen to cash in. The people and the passion are aplenty, according to ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker. But a lack of a cohesive vision is holding the nation back. "For the most part, the government talks a big talk but doesn't do a lot of things," he said. "It's not that they're not investing in things, that's not the problem, it's that there's no long-term vision." There is money, but space is expensive. According to Dr Tucker, much of the ANU's Mount Stromlo Observatory was funded through insurance money awarded after the 2003 firestorm destroyed the facility's telescopes, library and workshops. A lack of paid positions means his wife, a space medicine specialist, works in an emergency department. Dr Tucker, for his part, funded some of his research through winnings from an appearance on Millionaire Hot Seat. "People have never been a problem, there's just nowhere for them to go," he said. Russell Boyce hopes to provide that place. The UNSW Space Engineering chairman left a hypersonics career in Brisbane three years ago after being tasked with building Australia's leading university-based space capability. Much of his budget is spent on salaries in a bid to reverse the brain drain. Mostly Australians have made the move to Canberra to participate in UNSW's work, but that could change with 10 to 15 more positions to be advertised within the next year. All Australians must understand the importance of space, said Professor Boyce. "It's reached a point where Australia and the rest of the developed world are critically dependent on space technology for the way we do everything," he said. "It's just there in the background helping things happen while we get on with what we do on the ground." Two of the staff on Professor Boyce's books paid tribute to his passion and dedication. Space ethicists Stephen and Nikki Coleman were invited to join the UNSW Canberra space team several years ago. The pair believe Canberra could become the space ethics capital of the world. Already the ACT boasts the world's highest concentration of space ethicists - a grand total of three. It's not a job for the faint-hearted. Their job is to think about different scenarios and imagine everything that could go wrong. Space terrorism is one concept Dr and Reverend Coleman explore. A taste: what would happen if a satellite was shot at, disintegrated and cluttered an orbit, causing more satellites to crash? "Because we use satellites for our GPS, we use it for our telephones, we use it for a large amount of internet communications, because we rely on digital media so much in what we do, it has a huge cascading effect," Reverend Coleman said. Dr Coleman agreed: "If you were wanting to do something awful to the world that's a really good thing to do." "I often feel a big weight of responsibility," Reverend Coleman said. "We're wanting to get as many people working in this area as possible because that shares the responsibility, because we're talking about the future of the planet - important things." The ACT government is keenly aware of the opportunities the space sector provides. Higher Education, Training and Research Minister Meegan Fitzharris described the industry as one in which the capital had natural strengths. "We have developed a strong knowledge economy and both UNSW Canberra and ANU are significant parts of that," she said. "When combined with other Canberra capabilities, such as Quintessence Labs', the presence of organisations such as the Deep Space Tracking Station at Tidbinbilla, growing companies like Nova Systems and Geospatial Intelligence and multinationals such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Airbus Defence and Space, Canberra can rightly claim to be Australia's space capital." Most groups interviewed agreed Australia - and, in turn, Canberra - would receive an edge in the space sector through the creation of a coordinating body. Mount Stromlo's Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre industry liaison engineer Naomi Mathers said such an agency would provide more efficiency. "One of the things I love about the space industry is it's a multi-faceted sector," she said. "You've got everything from engineers to scientists to people working on computer algorithms and all the other things in between, but somehow you have to link all of those pieces together, then you get a greater return on your investment." An Industry, Innovation and Science Department spokesman instead focused on Australia's collaborations with other countries. "International cooperation are important factors to maintaining and strengthening Australia's space capabilities," he said. "The government will continue to strengthen its international cooperation to ensure Australia has the space capabilities it requires now and into the future."

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/6ac0b171-3688-4e47-bbdf-55f7f5275b30/r0_119_2000_1249_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg