Australia

HyImpulse has partnered with Southern Launch to launch into space from the Koonibba Test Range in 2024. In the same vein, the German rocket manufacturer has entered into agreements regarding the provision of facilities and services of the SaxaVord spaceport for future launch activities. As a result, HyImpulse will offer launch services from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, and test its SR75 rocket via a suborbital launch at the Koonibba test range. 

Firefly Aerospace, an American aerospace firm, announced on the 8th of November a new agreement with Fleet Space Technologies, an Australian space exploration firm. Firefly will deliver and operate Fleet’s Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration, and Research (SPIDER) on the far side of the Moon. 

The Governments of Australia and the United States of America have signed an agreement formalizing the Technology Safeguards Agreement between both countries. As a result, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) will allow US companies to carry out space launch activities in Australia and protect US technology, including rockets and satellites. The agreement signing occurred as part of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the United States.

Southern Launch, an Australian rocket launch and range service provider company have announced the signing of a Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the US. The agreement will allow for the transfer of US Space Technology including rockets and satellites to be launched from, or returned to Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Joe Biden signed the TSA during Prime Minister Albanese’s first official state visit to the US. The agreement must still be ratified by the Australian parliament.

Varda Space Industries and Southern Launch have announced a partnership to conduct re-entry operations at the Koonibba Test Range, with the goal of making South Australia a hub for an in-space manufacturing industry. As a result, Southern Launch will support Varda Space Industries in conducting high-cadence re-entry operations at the Koonibba Test Range to meet a wide range of Varda’s customer needs.

Fugro's Space Automation, AI and Robotics Control Complex (SpAARC) in Perth, Western Australia (WA), is to receive an additional AUD 5 million in funding from the WA Government. Roger Cook, the WA Premier, made the announcement at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on the morning of the opening of IPSEC 2023, Perth’s Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference for leaders in space and cross-sector technologies.

In the latest (15th) “Space Café Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland, host Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor at Western Sydney University, and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, and Co-Host Torsten Kriening, SpaceWatch.Global’s Publisher, welcomed Ann Vandenbroucke and Martin Reynders to a fantastic breakfast discussion at the famous Bundesbüdchen in Bonn. Over breakfast treats (and some coffee), they discussed important issues relating to current and future space activities and the challenges and opportunities raised by constantly developing space technology.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #90: Space Archaeology and an attempt to rethink humanity with multi award winning author and researcher Dr Alice Gorman. In this enlightening episode, host Markus engages in a comprehensive discussion about space archaeology and space debris with Dr. Alice Gorman, an internationally recognized leader in the field of space archaeology. Dr. Gorman's innovative research on space exploration has been featured in National Geographic, New Scientist, and Archaeology magazine.

SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), an Australian space research center,  have announced a suite of new R&D projects and University appointments in support of the ACT Space Update 2023 unveiled in Canberra today, bringing its joint investment in the ACT to over $7 million. With the launch of the ACT Space Update 2023, SmartSat is amplifying this commitment by injecting new funds into research in space technologies addressing bushfire resilience, spacecraft system autonomy, space object surveillance, and cybersecurity.

ICEYE, a provider of natural catastrophe solutions and insights, have been selected by the Federal Government of Australia to supply flood and bushfire hazard data for all states and territories across the country. Several states and territories across Australia have experienced record-breaking flood and bushfire events in recent years due primarily to persistent La Ninã or El Niño weather patterns. These weather patterns have resulted in either extensive periods of extreme rainfall or drought.