Senator Gallacher discusses Space Policy in Australian Senate

In a speech to the Australian Senate on the 7th of February, South Australian Senator Alex Gallacher espoused the values of Space to Australia, highlighting the success of the recent policy activities in growing the industry as well as providing inspiration and pathways for students to study maths and science.

Senator Alex Gallacher (image: Parliament of Australia)

"The Labor government recognises the enormous economic value of space and how these programs can inspire students to take on space-related careers in science and engineering or to utilise the technology" said Senator Gallacher, going on to highlight the value to the Australian economy as well as the prospects to boost future employment in the sector.

He goes on to highlight the success of 'Project21', which is an Australian Space Research Program that is being run by the Flinders University, and supporting getting students back into Maths and Science.

It's great to see Space Policy once again making its way back into the discussion in the Australian government, and highlights how space continues to be on the rise in Australia. You can find the Senators speech here.

NBN Selects Space Systems/Loral for $620M Australian Satellite Contract

NBN Co has selected Space Systems/Loral of California to build two Ka-Band Telecommunications Satellite to be launched in 2015.

The deal that was announced by the Prime Minister and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, is part of the $2Bn investment on the NBN Satellite service that will provide a minimum 12 Mbps service to around 3% of Australia's population - particularly those in remote parts of Australia.

The two NBNCo Satellites to be built by SS/L (image source: NBN Co)

The combined throughput capacity of the satellites is around 90Gbps, with the telemetery, tracking and satellite control elements of the ground segment included in the contract.

The procurement process has been extensive, taking over two years, and involving most of the leading American and European Satellite manufactures. The contract is structured such that a new government would find it difficult to tear up the agreement, protecting the manufacturer from stopping work halfway through the project. There is no word yet as to whether any work will be done in Australia under the contract.

NBN Co is still working through two Satellite related tenders - one for the remainder of the satellite ground segment, and the other the satellite launch services.

Full details can be found on the NBN Co website here.

Adelaide submits bid to host the 2014 International Astronautical Congress

Adelaide has just submitted a bid in Paris to host the 2014 International Astronautical Congress. Over the summer period, a team supported by many different government agencies have worked together to produce a strong bid that has good state and federal government support.

The IAC which is hosted by the International Astronautical Federation, is one of the most important events globally in the Space Industry, and is attended by around 2500 delegates including many space agency executives and industry leaders from around the world. Australia most recently hosted the IAC in Melbourne in 1998 and stands a strong chance to again host the event in 2014.

The bid team have released a website - http://www.adelaideiacbid.com/ in conjunction with their submission - I encourage you to head over and take a look.

I have no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming months - a decision is expected by early April.

Dr Ben Green appointed to Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council

The Prime Minister announced on the 20th of January a new science advisory body called the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC). The council will meet three times per year to provide independent scientific policy advice to Government for both existing and emerging issues, as well as long term future scientific issues.

 The council will be led by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, but most importantly for the Australian Space community is the appointment of Dr Ben Green, the Chief Executive Officer of Electro Optic Systems (EOS), one of Australia’s leading Space companies. Dr Green has had an extensive space career within both government and industry sectors, and more recently has been involved in EOS’s global success, particularly in the field of space debris tracking using laser technology.

No doubt Dr Green’s experience will be valuable to the new Council, but it is great to see a candidate with a comprehensive understanding of the space domain at the table providing advice to the top government levels.

VSSEC-NASA Australian Space Prize 2011 Category Winners Announced

The 2011 VSSEC-NASA Australian Space Prize category winners have been announced. The prize is open to all Australian undergraduate students who are currently completing their final or honours year at an Australian University.

This year 17 applications were received from nine Australian Universities, with a host of Australian industry experts reviewing the applications to determine the category winners.

This years category winners include:

Engineering:

Lyle Roberts from The Australian National University 

High-Speed Digitally Enhanced Heterodyne Interferometry

Geology and Planetary Geology: 

Cynthia Rathini Mahendran from the University of Technology Sydney 

Modelling the age relation of impact crater profiles on Mars

Space Physics and Astrophysics: 

Paul Stewart from The University of Sydney 

Postcard from the Edge of the Solar System: Cassini’s Ringside View of Mira

Data Processing and Electronics: 

Anthony Cheetham from The University of Sydney 

Cophasing JWST’s Segmented Mirror Using Sparse Aperture Interferometry

Biology and Human Physiology: 

Amy Spark from Monash University 

Injectable Tissue Scaffolds: Using Hollow Nanofibres to Form Hybrid Gels

All Category winners will now be submitting a seperate application to NASA who will determine the final VSSEC-NASA Australian Space prize winner in March. The ultimate prize winner will spend 10 weeks at the NASA Academy, working directly with a lead scientist or engineer.

For more information on the VSSEC-NASA prize and this years winners, head here.

Congratulations to all Category winners!

Busy summer for Space education in Australia

This summer is shaping up to be very busy for space education in Australia, particularly in Adelaide.

The International Space University and University of South Australia have been busy hosting the Southern Hemisphere Southern Space Program - in its second year this year. The Program runs until the 11th of February, and features a host of top space lecturers from around the world.

The program covers a broad spectrum of space topics, and was developed by the University of South Australia and the International Space University with support from Australian Space Research Program funding. This year's program features 35 students from Russia, Australia, India, South Africa, Nepal, USA, Poland, Brazil, China, Spain, Nigeria and New Zealand. The program also sees the students develop an extensive white paper on a contemporary and important space issue. For more information, head here.

Across town, the AIAA chapter at the Adelaide University has been hosting the ISSET Mission Discovery Summer School which allows students to work with Astronauts, Astronaut trainers, rocket scientists and NASA leaders. For more information head over to the webpage here, or checkout the Adelaide University AIAA  facebook page here.

Both of these events have seen a number of Astronauts and global space leaders in Adelaide for the week, with some wonderful free public events on offer. Speaking of which, the 25th of January will see the final Space Panel event as part of the SH-SSP program as follows.

 Australia's Future in Space 

 Wednesday, 25 January 2012 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm 

 The Mawson Centre, University of South Australia Mawson Lakes Campus 

 This distinguished panel of key officials and space policy experts will discuss the recent history, current status, and future direction of the Australian space program. The panel will be led by Professor Andrew Parfitt, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of South Australia and will include Australian experts including Mr. Brett Biddington, Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, Mr David Hudson of Geoscience Australia and Mr. John Teager of Defence SA.

For more info, head here.

Beyond this, February will see DLR and RMIT team up to hold a 4-day Remote Sensing summer school. For more information, you can take a look at my previous article on the summer school here.

The busy summer is another sign that the Australian Space industry is on the up and up, and no doubt such wonderful educational events will put in place the brains trust to lead the industry for many years to come.

Australia steps back onto the global space policy stage

Australia has stepped back onto the global space policy stage, backing the EU plan for an international code of conduct for outer space activities.

The code of conduct is aimed at both minimising and reducing 'space junk' or space debris, which poses a long-term threat to space infrastructure that is vital to most developed nations, including Australia.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said:  "Everything from aircraft and ship navigation, to electronic commerce, communications, climate monitoring and disaster management, not to mention many of our defence systems, all rely on satellites. But all that's being put at risk by the growing possibility of collisions with satellites and space vehicles."

The code of conduct was drafted by the EU, and has the support of the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia, although the United States has suggested that it will not include its military space activities under the code of conduct. Space debris poses a major risk to operational satellites, and is of particular concern to human space flight activities.

Australia has now become actively involved in the negotiations on the code of conduct, in a sign that Australia has once again become actively been involved in global space policy issues, mirroring the recent upsurge in Space activities in Australia.