The Western Australia Government has made a series of space funding announcements. The funding coincides with high-profile space events running this week in Perth, including the Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference.
Earlier this week, the government committed to an AUD3.5 million co-investment to build satellite capability in a deal with local Earth observation company LatConnect 60.
The multi-million dollar funding package will facilitate the construction of a SWIRSAT satellite. The satellite will detect, monitor and quantify global greenhouse gas emissions.
LatConnect 60 aims to provide near daily monitoring of assets globally. To achieve this they plan on building a constellation of up to 18 satellites in Western Australia.
Separately, LatConnect 60 announced a partnership with Gilmour Space Technologies, which will build the satellite bus for this mission.
Additional funding allocated to International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
The Western Australia Government has also allocated AUD25 million to the locally based International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).
The state government established ICRAR in 2009 to support Australia’s successful bid for the world’s largest astronomical telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Including this week’s contribution, the Western Australia Government has invested almost AUD100 million in financial support.
There are now more than 130 national and international organisations operating space and space-related services in Western Australia. Various entities have invested than AUD1 billion into the state’s space sector over the past six years. Radio astronomy expertise from the SKA is now transferring into other domains, including defence, space, agriculture, marine and mining.
“We have a vision of making WA the place for space,” said Science Minister Stephen Dawson. “Western Australia is fast becoming a global centre of excellence in radio astronomy, which is exemplified by ICRAR’s work and our hosting of the SKA.”
Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference part of Western Australia’s Space Week
Representatives from NASA, the Japan Space Exploration Agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation, the UK Space Agency, and the Australian Space Agency, among others, are in Perth this week.
“Hosting the Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference is a great opportunity to show off our State as a global destination for space technology and innovation,” said Premier Roger Cook.
The Western Australia Government is attempting to position the state as the Southern Hemisphere’s hub for space operations and exploration. The government is springboarding off a strong local research base, a growing expertise in remote robotics, a strategic location, radio quiet zones, and clear skies.
“We are focused on building momentum,” said Dawson. “Because of our size and because of our coastline as well, we’ve got amazing infrastructure in Western Australia that can be put to use to explore space. Western Australia is proud to have played a significant role in the modern space industry for more than 60 years.”
Meanwhile, LatConnect 60 says SWIRSAT will generate critical insights from very high spatial resolution Earth observation data in the short wave infrared range. It will allow end users to pinpoint and quantify source-level carbon emissions with a high accuracy. It will also fill a key data gap in the market from low Earth orbit. The company hopes to launch their first satellite into orbit in late 2026
