Space in Australia: A mistaken identity?

From what I keep hearing, the most common response by average Australians to “Should Australia invest in Space” is “we can’t afford to send man to the moon! Why don’t we invest the money in hospitals instead?” which tells me two key things about Space in Australia.

Firstly, that Australians are not fully aware of what Space technologies are used for. Despite what Aussies think, Space is not just about sending Man to the Moon. Sure, human space exploration is a highly visible and inspiring part of Space technology, but overall, it’s actually quite a small part of the global space industry – less than 5% of the overall US$260 Billion Space Market in 2010.

What makes up most of the space industry, is technologies that improve the lives of people on earth, every single day, such as telecommunications, navigation and positioning, weather forecasting, television broadcasting, climate monitoring and defence surveillance. It is exactly these technologies that Australia, and Australians use every day, and which underpin several aspects of our modern society. In this respect, the perception of Space for Australians is quite a long way away from the reality.

The second point that the response tells me is that Australians think that Space would be a poor investment for Australia to make, and that there are much higher priorities.

I fully agree with the argument that hospital funding is vital in Australia, and more funding can always help the hospital system, however Space is also a vital part of Australian society, it just receives extremely little funding from Government – in stark contrast to most other developed economies.

When a cyclone or bushfire is bearing down on your house and an Earth Observation satellite gives you enough advanced warning to save lives and minimise economic damage, an Earth Observation Satellite is a good investment. When satellite telecommunications makes up a US$80B industry globally, and “has probably had more effect than any other space technology on the average Australian”, providing telephone, television, radio and internet connectivity to a massive number of Australians, a telecommunications satellite is a good investment. When up to 10% of your economy depends on Precision Navigation, Positioning and Timing, then GPS type systems become a good investment. This is not to say that other government funded areas like hospitals aren’t important, but that investment in Space technology and capabilities are also important.

The Australia space policy that will be released in 2011, is likely not to include Australia sending a man to the moon. What it is likely to focus upon, is exactly those technologies that we use, and are already vital to Australia – Earth Observation, Satellite Communications, and Position, Navigation and Timing. Not only is this approach the right one, but it will help change the perception in Australia that Space is only about “Sending Man to the Moon”, helping sustain support for space funding over the longer term.

As Australian Space professionals, we also have an obligation to help change the debate in Australia from “we can’t afford to send man to the moon” to “why don’t we have satellites to help better forecast our weather, measure climate change, connect our households and protect our shores?” It is not enough for us to expect the public opinion to evolve naturally to understand what we often take for granted.

It’s time we take back Space in Australia for what it really is.