SA boosts space manufacturing with new $20m Adelaide hub

Australia’s space supply chain continues to see massive investment as the South Australian government announces plans to build a $20 million space manufacturing hub in Adelaide.

As the country’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub, the new Australian Space Park will be established to help produce everything from small satellites to flying vehicles.

Four companies, including Adelaide-based startup Flavia Space Technologies and Sydney-based quantum sensing startup Q-CTRL, will work in partnership with the South Australian government to set up the site.

The new purpose-built facility is set to boost the state’s space manufacturing capability, with focusing on the production of small satellites, rockets, electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicles and supporting componentry and technical systems.

Premier Steven Marshall said the government was transforming SA into the undisputed space state as a key part of future-proofing jobs for decades to come.

“The creation of the Australian Space Park signals our commitment to the South Australian and Australian space sector by bridging the gap between research and development and prototyping to production at scale,” he said.

“The hub aligns with Australia’s space strategy that aims to triple the space sector’s contribution to GDP to over $12 billion per annum and create up to an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030.”

The minister continued that the Australian Space Park is the next step in positioning Australia’s space community to deliver the entire space value chain, enabling the design, manufacture, launch and mission control of new space capabilities.

Fleet Space Technologies chief executive, Flavia Tata Nardini, said the space park would enhance Australia’s growing reputation for industry capability within the global space and advanced aerospace sectors.

“We are delighted to be part of a facility that is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere,” Nardini said.

“The opportunity to collaborate with leading minds in our field in a dedicated facility like this will accelerate progress for our entire industry,” she said.

Related: Local manufacturers to break into international space supply chains

Another company involved in the space park, Q-CTRL, said the facility was necessary to transform Australia’s lead in the quantum tech industry into a strategic global advantage in the space sector.

“One of the most exciting things we’re planning in terms of our growth is the development of new forms of satellites that leverage quantum technology to give us a new way of seeing the earth,” Mike Biercuk, chief executive of Q-CTRL.

“What excites us the most about the space sector right now is the way that companies like mine that have never had access to space all of a sudden have the ability to take our core technology to orbit to the moon and Mars,” Bercuk said.

with news from AAP