South Australia establishes Australian Space Park for space sector manufacturers
The South Australian government has launched the nation’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub, to be established in the Adelaide Airport precinct, with a $20 million co-investment. The Australian Space Park will provide a vital manufacturing link to the local space industry value chain.
A consortium of four companies arise partnering with the SA Government to develop the purpose-built facility: Fleet Space Technologies, Q-CTRL, ATSpace and Alauda Aeronautics. Adelaide Airport has been identified by the consortium as an ideal location for the Australian Space Park due to its proximity to traditional aerospace companies and the central business district and innovation precinct, Lot Fourteen, which is home to a growing community of space companies.
With the Australian Space Agency and Mission Control already based at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, the Australian Space Park will boost space manufacturing capability and capacity by initially co-locating four space manufacturing companies in a purpose-built facility in the Airport precinct with a focus on collaboration and production of small satellites and their payloads, rockets, electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL), and supporting componentry and technical systems.
SA Premier Steven Marshall announced the SA Government would be contributing a $20 million investment in the Australian Space Park, which is anticipated to create approximately 220 highly skilled space industry roles within the first two years of operation, further building out the Space ecosystem in South Australia as the national centre for this emerging industry. Discussions with the Adelaide Airport owners are ongoing as a potential location for the Park.
“The creation of the Australian Space Park signals our commitment to the South Australian and Australian space sector by bridging the gap between research and development and prototyping to production at scale,” Premier Marshall said.
“The Hub aligns with Australia’s space strategy that aims to triple the space sector’s contribution to GDP to over $12 billion per annum and create up to an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030.
“Having Q-CTRL and ATSpace establish in South Australia as part of this project provides further opportunities for collaboration and partnerships across the space sector.
“The Australian Space Park is the next step in positioning Australia’s space community to deliver the entire space value chain – enabling the design, manufacture, launch and mission control of NewSpace capabilities.”
Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, on behalf of the industry consortium, said the Australian Space Park will be an important centre to grow not only South Australia’s sovereign capability, but also Australia’s growing reputation for industry capability within the global space sector and advanced aerospace sectors.
“We are delighted to be part of a facility that is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere,” Ms Tata Nardini said. “The opportunity to collaborate with leading minds in our field in a dedicated facility like this will accelerate progress for our entire industry.”
As the centrepiece of the nation’s space endeavours and building upon South Australia’s strong starting position in the New Space economy, the state is presently targeting an annual growth rate in the space sector of 5.8 per cent over the next decade.