Major pacts with Europe and the US set Australia’s space industry on course for expansion, with IAC 2025 showcasing the moment Australia and the European Union will sign cooperation agreements to cooperate on future space missions and extra-terrestrial business opportunities. The agreement between the Australian and European Space Agencies would offer businesses and researchers greater… Read more »
Advanced Navigation’s LUNA laser navigation sensor has cleared a critical validation campaign on Earth and is moving to final space qualification for Intuitive Machines’ 2027 south pole mission, with Australian Astronomical Optics supplying the space-qualified optical head.
UniSA, RapidBeam and Japan’s Warpspace have teamed up to fast-track laser satellite communications in Australia and New Zealand, integrating Warpspace’s HOCSAI modem into UniSA’s optical ground station network to run interoperability and performance trials.
Round three of the South Australia Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund will open next Tuesday, September 23, with two projects awarded up to $150,000 each This round is focused on real-world applications of space-derived data to solve pressing challenges on Earth. Funding will support innovative projects that demonstrate clear commercial potential in areas such as: … Read more »
Akula Tech has joined Australia’s space cohort in orbit, launching its Nexus-01 AI payload on SpaceX via Dhruva Space’s LEAP-1 as Esper’s OTR-2 hyperspectral imager rode along.
An Australian built and operated cube satellite has won the SmallSat Mission of the Year award at the AIAA Small Satellite Mission of the Year Awards in Salt Lake City, USA. The Waratah Seed-1 – Australia’s first ‘rideshare’ satellite – launched 12 months ago and beat 10 rival finalists from global space experts includes NASA, the… Read more »
Bowen, we have lift off. In the end Gilmour Space’s 23-metre-high, 30-tonne orbital rocket didn’t rise more than 100-metres in the air before crashing after 14 seconds of flight, but finally, after several attempts, the Australian-designed and made rocket took off just after 8.30am, AEST. “Got off the pad , I am happy. Of course… Read more »
Queensland rocket builder Gilmour Space Technologies is hoping tomorrow will at long last be their chance to launch the first orbital space flight in 50 years from Australia. History was almost made today before the launch attempt for Eris TestFlight1 from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport, about 200km outside Townsville, was scrubbed late on July 29… Read more »
Last week’s announcement of the loss of a methane-detecting satellite, just days before New Zealand was meant to take over mission control, is a blow to the country’s space research sector. New Zealand invested NZ$29 million in the MethaneSat mission, built and operated by the US nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, with a goal of growing… Read more »
What goes up must come down, and last week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the sky above the Indian Ocean, it exploded. This was the ninth test flight for the rocket, and the third catastrophic failure… Read more »
As taxpayer investments go, the NSW government is on a winner with the National Space Industry Hub, launched in 2021, with every $1 invested in the project resulting in the startups involved attracting $74 in external funding. Cicada Innovations and Investment NSW marked four years of the hub this week with a showcase of the technology involved,… Read more »
After a week of excited build up, Queensland’s Gilmour Space Technologies was forced to postpone its mission to send an Australian-made rocket into orbit this week – a feat that would have made history. Gilmour Space’s first launch window opened on Thursday but the rocket stayed silent at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport – about 200km… Read more »
The husband of Australia’s first “Aussie” astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, has been appointed the new director of space at the South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC). Campbell Pegg has spent 15 years in the space industry across five countries, and was most recently assistant director for satellite engineering at Optus. He’s worked in leadership positions across government,… Read more »
Five Australian startups have scored $3.6 million in Moon to Mars supply chain capability grants as part of NASA’s ambitions to explore beyond the chunk of rock orbiting 384,400km from Earth. South Australian company entX scored $1 million to develop a radioisotope heater unit. The unit will help payloads withstand the extreme low temperatures on… Read more »
A consortium of 21 startups, space and manufacturing companies, mining giant BHP and several universities will collaborate in a project to put an Australian-made rover on the Moon. The ELO2 Consortium, co-led by EPE Oceania and Lunar Outpost Oceania, is part of NASA’s Artemis Moon exploration program. The group has been charged with a $42… Read more »
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
