Creating space for a growing local industry
15 August 2023 Read the paper
According to some estimates the Victorian space industry employs 2,300 people across 250 space related businesses, like Lockheed Martin, Marand, Cablex, ESSWeathertech and others.
By the standards of huge national space agencies like NASA, or even private corporations like SpaceX, the local industry is small. But, while the challenges are great, so is the potential.
Some of that potential is explored in a new paper from the Victorian Parliamentary Library, which surveys the history, opportunities, policy context and ambitions of the space industry and places it in a national context.
‘Australia’s space industry is small but straddles a broad mix of endeavours both looking out to space and looking back down to Earth,’ the paper says.
Australia wide the industry employs more than 15,000 people. A number expected to rise to 25,000 by 2028.
The Australian Space Agency (ASA), formed by the federal government in 2018, is the country’s chief space industry body. The paper notes the ‘ASA is ‘industry-focused’, aiming at ‘transforming, inspiring and creating a competitive environment for the space sector to grow, and advancing Australia’s competitiveness and role as a responsible actor in civil space’.’
The paper examines the breadth of the space industry in Victoria and its applications. A number of current issues are driving research and innovation within the space industry. However, opportunities for growth are also coupled with a number of challenges to established players and new entrants.
This paper has been produced for National Science Week 2023.