Our Managing Director, Andrew Wetherell, shares an MSP update on the recent news regarding the Australian space agency and federal budget release.
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The recent Australian Federal Budget release on the 8th of May marks an important and exciting time for the Australian space sector. The announcement of funding in the value of $41 million for a space agency and further $224.9 million investment into GPS technologies through Geoscience in Australia establishes a clear direction and message to the rest of the world: we are ready to play.
This funding itself is expected to seed the ecosystem over the next four years, with Megan Clarke as the chair of the space agency over the coming year.
With GPS investment of $64.1 million into a National Ground Station Network and $160.9 million into space-based augmentation systems, it is clear that Australia is seeking to claim a competitive position in this incredible technology. The objective is to improve existing GPS precision to within 10cm across all corners of Australia. Successful research will lead to opportunities to support cornerstone Australian sectors such as agriculture, mining and planning.
For organisations such as ourselves, the Melbourne Space Program, the budget release and research interests provide direction and assurance that we will be able to participate in the global space sector. Our vision is for Melbourne ‘to have the Silicon Valley for space’, in which we seek to foster top talent and support the creation of a thriving ecosystem to enable passionate individuals to pursue their ambitions in space.
To date, we have been missing direction for where local start-ups can make an impact in the space sector. With the investment into GPS technologies, we seek to support those who wish to utilise the incredible capability we already have in Australia, and lead students into a space revolution implementing these technologies.
We’re looking forward to what the future brings – not just for MSP, but for all of Australia.