The governments of South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have come together to advocate for the establishment of an Australian Space Agency.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of their governments to work together towards the creation of a Canberra-based agency.

The five-year agreement reflects both jurisdictions’ commitment to ensuring Australia can share in the $420 billion revenue produced annually by the international space industry.

The MoU also recognises that the successful growth and competitiveness of Australia’s space sector in a global economy depends on bringing together the strengths and capabilities found in all states and territories.

“I encourage other states and territories to demonstrate their support for the establishment of a national space agency, which will see Australia secure a bigger share of this exciting industry,” said Premier Weatherill. 

ACT Chief Minister Barr said the deal recognises that “complementary strengths in the space sector” of each jurisdiction. “South Australia brings a launch facility and its manufacturing history to this partnership, while we have significant strengths in our research community and the headquarters of a significant number of the big players in the space industry. Canberra is also home to a number of companies such EOS Space Systems, Geospatial Intelligence and Geoplex that are leaders in their field,” he said.

The first action under this MOU will be the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide during September. Chief Minister Barr said the Congress would showcase a number of Canberra’s key industry players including ANU, UNSW Canberra, EOS Space Systems, Geospatial Intelligence and Northrop Grumman.