The Australian Academy of Science has welcomed the bipartisan approach to establish an Australian space agency and says a national coordination framework must be a first order priority for the agency.
The framework would provide priority setting and strategic funding and enable Australia’s space industry sector to mature and flourish.
The lack of a national coordination framework impacts on Australia’s engagement with and capacity to respond to initiatives such as the Chinese-based International Space Weather Meridian Circle Program. The program is proposing to establish space-based weather measurement instruments along the 120E/60W meridian, which passes through Australia and Antarctica, in order to provide a global picture of unfolding space weather events.
With the right policy support and framework in place, Australia can mobilise the sector to create a significant space industry, based on innovative and niche products, in a relatively short time
Priorities for the Australian space sector could include leading the development of CubeSats as a national capability, understanding and managing the impacts of space weather and tracking and managing space junk.
The Academy’s Vision for Space and Technology in Australia, being launched on 27 September at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, lays out the path to success for an Australian space agency.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
