Growing Australian space industry targets opportunities in UAE

In 2019, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, facilitating closer international partnerships in areas of the space industry. Now that the two countries continue to forge ahead in their rapidly growing space industries, Sydney, capital of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), believes the United Arab Emirates could offer some of the best opportunities for its Sydney-based space start-ups. to get new investments.

In 2018, the Australian government launched the Australian Space Agency with the aim of tripling the national space economy from $ 3 billion (Dh 11 billion) to $ 9 billion by 2030 and developing an additional 12,000 highly skilled jobs. .

With most of Australia’s space industry based in New South Wales, Government Minister for Investment, Trade and Industry Stuart Ayres has said that since the launch of the Australian Space Agency , the state of NSW has become the nation’s leader in space innovation. and entrepreneurship.

“With continued investments in domestic research and development, including exploration of Mars, the UAE is poised to become a powerhouse in the space industry, and we know there is a real opportunity for our Sydney-based companies to be part of this growth.

“Sydney has the largest and most powerful space capability in Australia, providing capabilities across all sectors of the space industry. we the global platform to showcase this strength.

At the 2021 International Astronautical Congress, Sydney-based space startups and companies showcased innovations in robotics, satellite subsystems, space medicine and biology.

As the growing demand for satellites continues, Sydney-based space robotics companies such as Spiral Blue, Sperospace and Saber Astronautics are looking to ride this wave of demand and the UAE could provide them with the space to grow.

Sperospace harnesses the next generation of space infrastructure, building modular robotic arms that will serve and build satellites in space, with as much ease as a human assembling furniture flat on Earth.

NSW (Middle East) Trade and Investment Commissioner Moin Anwar said this kind of technology will enable the next generation of satellites and space assets to be reusable and durable, extending the lifespan of life of satellites and helping to mitigate the dangers of congested space.

The Australian Space Agency has announced that Sperospace is one of the recipients of the Moon-to-Mars Demonstrator Feasibility Grant.

“This will make Sperospace a leader in space robotics in Australia’s burgeoning space sector and create off-Earth service capabilities that are essential to support Moon-to-Mars missions,” said Anwar.

Along with satellite maintenance and Earth observation, other Sydney-based companies are working to reduce barriers to entry into the space industry.

Companies like Sydney-based Saber Astronautics are committed to democratizing access to space. The company’s flagship product is the newly developed Predictive Ground Station Interface (PIGI), mission control software designed for the modern era. This satellite operating technology can predict the performance of a satellite and display it to an operator, allowing companies to monitor and control many satellites with minimal effort.

“It’s a catalyst for new space companies looking to enter the global market, providing a video game-quality interface that allows users to reach any point on the spacecraft or the environment, while the ‘World-class data mining enables the system to make sense of the data,’ said Anwar.

“This democratization of space has opened up barriers that previously made it very difficult for small space companies to gain a foothold in the market, which is largely based in the United States.”

To learn more, visit Space Program – Investment NSW