Public good services and infrastructure

There are a number of cases where Australian participation in a particular space project may lead to national public benefits. A good example is space meteorology.

At present Australia obtains space meteorological data at no cost from US and Russian polar orbiting spacecraft and from a Japanese geostationary satellite. It is unlikely that this free service will continue indefinitely. If we had to purchase these space services we would be in a very weak position, both to negotiate costs and to influence the type of service provided. A better option is to buy into the space meteorology club in a modest but appropriate manner by contributing new instrumentation to future meteorological satellites. Development of the atmospheric pressure sensor could offer such an opportunity. In order to gain value from past investments, such a strategy should be an essential part of the five year plan.

Science and technology base

The expert panel report accepted that 'science...is an essential part of any balanced national space program. There is abundant evidence from many parts of the world that science projects are the precursors of most modern space applications; and the NSP should contribute to the funding of science activities of relevance to Australias present and planned future space activities which cannot reasonably be financed by the ARC or other sources.'

In contrast to this statement, the five year plan concentrates on technology; science is rarely mentioned. Although science features prominently in the mission statement - 'net benefits from the development and use of spacerelated, science, technology and industry', it does not appear in any of the objectives, strategies or actions. The objectives of the five year plan should be redirected to emphasise the importance of fostering space-related research.

As noted earlier, all other countries sustaining a space program have recognised the importance of space science as a foundation for instrument and technology development. If Australia is to develop and manufacture new and unique instruments, then space science must play a role in the future as it did in the Endeavour and Along Track Scanning Radiometer projects.

The Academy believes that space science should be supported as an integral and recognisable component of the NSP. This is the only way that mutual benefits to science and industry can be achieved.

Effective management of space science projects would require an international advisory committee for a satellite project, science teams for multifaceted projects, and principal investigators with support groups for individual experiments. All assessment and selection processes should be undertaken by peer review and directed by a committee of experts.

The Academy promotes scientific activities between Australian and international scientific groups. Space science is important to international collaboration and thereby increases Australia's prestige and the transfer of knowledge. Overseas scientists are concerned at the erosion of Australia's preeminence in certain areas of space science (for example, x-ray and ultraviolet astronomy) due to lack of support through the NSP.

At the international level, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is the major forum for Space Science, while the Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics carries out interdisciplinary programs. Both bodies are respected by governments, space agencies, universities and scientists worldwide. There are various levels of membership to COSPAR; Australia has traditionally subscribed to the category that befits our history as a nation with capabilities in satellite payload development and launch. The Academy's National Committee on Space Science compiles a biennial report to COSPAR which collates Australian space science activities and contributes to the projection of Australia's space science and technology credentials at an international level. In many countries the subscription to COSPAR is met by the national space agency. In Australia it is funded by the Academy. With Academy funding diminishing, it would be appropriate for the Australian Space Office to contribute half of the US$12,000 annual subscription.

The NSP five year plan recommended collaboration with the Australian Research Council in funding spacerelated research projects. This cooperative funding scheme was abandoned before its first year of operation, 1996. This is a very important initiative which should be reinstated. Even then, it will only provide supplementary support to projects unless the ARC can inject significant funds.

In line with the reinstatement of space science to a place in the NSP, it will be necessary to reword relevant recommendations in the second five year plan to include science. For example, Objective 4, Strategy 13a and Action item 29.

Furthermore, in the interests of the space program it is vitally important that Recommendation R6 of the expert panel be implemented as originally intended. This states:

'The panel recommends that science projects which are in support of NSP objectives...should regularly receive a share of available funding, and that it be considered important not to drop below 10 per cent of the NSP budget in any one year'.

Foreign policy and defence

Space activities have a global scale. Participation in international space science programs contributes in a significant manner to Australian foreign policy objectives. Collaboration in the Russian Radioastron space astronomy mission was initiated under an intergovernmental space research agreement between Australia and the former USSR. Australian participation in the German-Japanese EXPRESS re-entry technology program, and the current Japanese ALFLEX model spaceplane program are supported under intergovernmental science and technology agreements. University research in astronomy and space science is similarly supported. Such programs assist in building closer political and technological links between Australia and the countries concerned, and provide a strong foundation for further scientific and commercial cooperation.

Cooperative space science programs play a particularly valuable role in strengthening Australian political and economic links in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, a program focused on solar-terrestrial physics in the equatorial region, possibly including a low inclination satellite, would be of particular benefit to Australia and Indonesia. Apart from the scientific objectives, such a program would have direct economic and technological benefits in areas such as communications and the Jindalee over-the-horizon radar.

Scientific cooperation with nations of similar longitude -Japan, Indonesia, China, Taiwan or South Korea - could lead to the joint provision of instrumentation on shared geostationary spacecraft (for meteorology or communications).

The Department of Defence is aware of the need for an indigenous space surveillance capability. This is reflected in the 1994 Defence White Paper and by the inclusion of the JP2044 satellite surveillance initiative in the department's Pink Book. Additionally, a space science group is being established at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.

Support of space science under the NSP will substantially strengthen the possibility of establishing a space surveillance capability. This will be achieved through the training of scientists and engineers experienced in the specification, design, manufacture, test and operation of advanced imaging and other sensor systems required to meet national security objectives. Without such a local capability, the department will need to purchase expensive off-shore space assets or expertise having little Australian content. Apart from providing no industrial benefit to Australia, this course of action would also lead to an increased trade deficit, unwanted dependence on other countries and compromised national security.

Examine the administrative structures supporting the National Space Program; assess their efficiency and effectiveness and present options of future arrangements.

The Australian Space Council Act of 1994 established the ASC with the prime purpose of integrating and directing the National Space Program through the provision of a five year plan. The Australian Space Office is the executive arm servicing the council and implementing the program. The implementation has not been successful. This has been noted earlier with respect to the exclusion of space science from the program and the lack of adequate funding to implement the plan.

Currently, the ASC membership is weighted towards Public Service appointees, with fewer external members from industry. There are no space science representatives on the ASC. Considering the role of science in earlier Australian space instrumentation successes, this should be remedied immediately. At the same time, the imbalance of ASC membership should be addressed, with no more than half the members being government representatives.

In order for the ASC to work more effectively, some of its members could work full time. Overworked academics and government and industry representatives cannot run the ASC on a parttime basis. The government should provide adequate funding so that a nucleus drawn from the ASC membership could be seconded to the fulltime task of implementing the NSP, perhaps on a rotating basis.

The Australian Space Office has not been successful over the years in supporting the aims and plans of the ASC. This is partly the result of inadequate funding and partly a consequence of its confinement to a government department and the provision of staff from the Public Service. Much of the office's activity and funding has been confined to fact-finding missions, policy statements and feasibility studies for projects and missions which have ultimately been abandoned.

An office directed and staffed by people with experience in the technical and administrative aspects of a space program would be better. Advisers could be seconded from industry, academia or other areas for specific projects. In this way the office could focus on providing the knowledgeable leadership and support necessary to coordinate and implement the space program.

The office must maintain its activities that support Australian work originating from US, European, Japanese and other space agencies. These activities generate national benefits at very little cost to the Australian taxpayer. A current example is the Japanese ALFLEX project.

Provide estimates of funding required to meet various possible levels of involvement by the Commonwealth Government in Australia's space activities.

Since 1987 the National Space Program has operated on a total budget of about $55 million, averaging $6 million per year over the last four years. This compares with the expert panel's recommended annual program budget of $20 million by 1994-95. This is a minimum for a space program that will have useful results.

It is the view of the Academy that if Australia is to have a serious space program, then it should include a sustainable and recognisable space science component. This should be funded by at least 10 per cent of the NSP budget, as stated in Recommendation R6 of the expert panel report.