QLD launches Space Industry Strategy 2020-25
The Queensland government has released Space Industry Strategy 2020-2025 and announced an $8 million investment to accelerate the State’s space industry into a new growth phase. Describing Queensland as ‘Australia’s space coast’, Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick MP says, “Our goal is to create up to 6000 new high-value jobs for Queenslanders and generate $6 billion annually for the state by 2036.”
He added that Queensland has four key space-related strengths that are primed to capitalise on:
- Opportunity for launch:advantageous location, an existing launch supply chain, and supporting university-led research base
- Opportunity for ground systems:suitable weather conditions, proximity to the equator, and remote internet and data backhaul services
- Space-enabled services:existing industries (e.g. Earth observation) strengthened by Queensland’s climate, geography and remoteness
- Robotics, automation and manufacturing:built through Queensland’s strong aerospace, research, mining, manufacturing and defence industries
There are two key strategies and priority actions built on the Queensland government’s existing industry roadmaps:
- Strengthen Queensland’s existing capabilities to support Queensland’s niche areas to be world-class and positioned for growth
- Grow Queensland’s industry by connecting it to new markets
To achieve these in the space sector the Queensland government will support infrastructure capability to enable growth in launch, ground systems and earth Observation (EO); human capability by promoting clear career pathways into the space industry; commercial capability by supporting Queensland organisations to enter the space supply chain. And by connecting industry to international markets, upstream industries (to support and end-to-end supply chain, and by leveraging downstream industries through space-enabled services.
The space economy is estimated to add some $500 million a year in value to other areas of Queensland’s economy; by 2036, space-related goods and services could boost the productivity of sectors such as agriculture and mining by $1.1 to $1.7 billion by 2016. Similarly, Space 2.0 will enable opportunities for Australian companies to expand their products and services to serve the global economy.