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INDUSTRY NEWS       AGENCY NEWS       STEM NEWS

7.10.21

Third round of Moon to Mars grants awarded


Four trailblazing Australian companies – Gilmour Space, Inovor Technologies, Black Sky Aerospace, and Crystalaid – will share in $3m in the latest Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants round.
 
READ MORE
NASA meets the Northern Territory
 
September heralded a momentous occasion for Australian space and the team at Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), who welcomed a NASA team to prepare for the organisation's first launch from a commercial facility outside the US.

ELA’s Arnhem Space Centre, on Yolngu country, was hand-picked by NASA as the ideal launch site for a series of sub-orbital research and observation missions in the southern hemisphere scheduled for 2022.

The team of 27 NASA personnel is working with ELA for six weeks as the site takes shape.

Image credit Carley Scott / ELA
 

World Space Week 2021

Virtual Event: Dr Shannon Walker
 
Join us for a free live virtual event on 8 October as we celebrate World Space Week with NASA astronaut Dr Shannon Walker!

Shannon will discuss her stellar career in space – from being selected as a NASA astronaut to serving as a Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station. You'll also hear about her mission experience aboard Crew-1, the first operational crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

Click here to register for the stream, which begins at 11:30am ACDT.
 
Agency Video: Women in Space
 
The theme of World Space Week 2021 is Women in Space – so to mark the occasion, we're excited to introduce you to some of the incredible women who work at our Agency.

Kerrie Dougherty OAM (Space Historian and Senior Policy Advisor), Aude Vignelles (Chief Technology Officer) and Tori Tasker (Senior Program and Operations Officer, Australian Space Discovery Centre) discuss what inspired them to pursue a career in space, and why gender diversity matters
.

Click here to watch the video on Instagram.
 

Industry News

Any news you'd like to share? Email media@space.gov.au
Myriota brings groundbreaking IoT capability to Defence
 
The Australian Government made an exciting new investment in space capability last month, signing a $5.48m contract with Adelaide-based Myriota to develop an expanded satellite Internet of Things (IoT) network for Defence use.

The contract will contribute to growing a robust, resilient and innovative industrial base for space technologies in Australia. Click here to read more.

The investment also capped off a big month of partnership news for Myriota. The company has announced it will work with Spire to deliver near real-time IoT connectivity by the end of 2022, and with IAG to help insurance customers safeguard their assets using IoT technology.

Image credit Myriota
 
NASA launches Landsat 9
 
Landsat 9, the most advanced satellite to study Earth yet, is now in orbit following its successful launch in California.
 
The satellite’s high-resolution camera and sensitive infrared sensor can image the Earth across 11 spectral bands and resolve objects down to about 15 metres wide – further enhancing the process of earth observation that improves our daily lives.
 
Click here to read more about the satellite.

Image credit ULA
 
SpaceX's historic civilian mission
 
Lifting off from the famous Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX's Inspiration4 made history last month as the world's first all-civilian mission to orbit.

Four crew members travelled across low Earth orbit from 16-18 September on a journey that continually eclipsed more than 90% of Earth's population.

 
Click here to find out more about the mission and the crew.

Image credit John Kraus / Inspiration4
 
Australian M2 satellite milestone
 
The M2 satellite mission operated by UNSW Canberra Space and the Royal Australian Air Force has achieved a critical milestone: the controlled separation of its cube satellite.

M2A and M2B are now flying in formation, conducting deeper space research while communicating with each other and ground stations on Earth.

The mission's small-scale research into satellite control mechanisms, space domain awareness and inter-satellite communications will inform the development of larger, more complex space systems.

M2 also opens doors economically, with a supply chain involving around 30 Australian organisations.

Click here to read more about the mission.

Image credit UNSW Canberra Space
 
Fleet Space flags expansion plans
 
Australian nanosatellite manufacturer Fleet Space Technologies has announced expansion plans to mass manufacture small satellites at a new facility in Adelaide.

The facility will be the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and the company hopes to have it up and running by mid-2022.

Alongside the technological benefits, the expansion is also a great boost for local industry jobs, with the company anticipating a staff increase from 70 employees to over 100
and possibly as many as 140.

Fleet Space Technologies CEO Flavia Tata Nardini signalled the company's plans while speaking at the 12th Australian Space Forum, and said the company will make an announcement in more detail later this year.

Six satellites designed and built by Fleet Space are in orbit, with more coming in 2022.
 

Agency News

Any news you'd like to share? Email media@space.gov.au
Agency joins Microsoft in new space data initiative
 
The Australian Space Agency has signed a Statement of Strategic Intent with Microsoft to establish Azure Space, a project that will streamline access to space data and technology.

Azure Space draws on space data combined with the artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities of Microsoft's existing Azure cloud platform to provide near real-time insights into Australia’s geography.

The concept supports space-related R&D, artificial intelligence, machine learning and edge processing to build a new generation of digital solutions.

Agency Head Enrico Palermo said Microsoft's aspirations for the project align with the significant sector growth that the Agency aims to nurture.

"The signing of a Statement of Strategic Intent with Microsoft signals our shared ambition to grow the national space industry, as part of the Agency’s broader mission to triple the size of the sector to $12 billion and add another 20,000 jobs by 2030,” Enrico said.

The announcement comes as Microsoft embarks on another space technology project with CSIRO, using artificial intelligence and space data to help Indigenous rangers predict movement of feral cattle herds.


Click here to read more about Azure Space.
 
Agency Head Enrico Palermo addresses G20 meeting
 
Our Agency Head Enrico Palermo joined his counterparts from around the world last month at the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting 2021 in Rome.

In his presentation to the forum, Enrico discussed how we’re working to transform our local space sector – and the undeniable ripple effect this has on our people, our planet, and the prosperity of our world.

The meeting was also a valuable opportunity to learn more about the important work going on at other national space agencies, as we seek to grow our global sector presence.

 
The Agency extends its thanks to the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana and its President, Giorgio Saccoccia, for hosting the meeting.
Register now for Airbus Mission to Mars workshop
 
We're counting down the days until the Airbus Foundation joins us in the Australian Space Discovery Centre for a hands-on Mission to Mars workshop!

Participants in the robotics workshop on 13 October will be introduced to the space industry, investigate the design and abilities of the Ariane 5 rocket, and explore advanced technologies in power, telecommunication and rockets that enable the journey to Mars.

Two sessions are available on 13 October for participants aged 12 and above. Registration includes a 45-minute workshop plus 30 minutes to explore the Space Gallery. Children must attend with registered parents.

 
Click here to find out more and register!

STEM News

Any news you'd like to share? Email media@space.gov.au
University of Adelaide robotics team wins NASA prize
 
Congratulations to Team University of Adelaide for collecting third prize and US$75,000 in the NASA Space Robotics Challenge!

The team of undergraduate and honours students also won an Innovation Award for their work on critical challenges in the competition.

The Space Robotics Challenge is a virtual competition which aims to advance robotic software and autonomous capabilities for space exploration missions on the surface of extraterrestrial objects, such as distant planets or moons. The challenge took place in a NASA simulation of the lunar south polar region.

Team University of Adelaide was the only Australian representative in the international challenge, and competed against corporate and private groups as well as other universities.

Click here to read more.

Image credit The University of Adelaide
 
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