Av-Comm’s Managing Director Michael Cratt has been featured in the fifth issue of Australia in Space Magazine, where he discusses the changing face of Australia’s space industry. Read the full article here.
Australia was an early leader in the global space race when most notably in 1967, we launched own satellite that played a vital role supporting interplanetary exploration, human spaceflight and with tracking and communications. From our industry’s earliest days and over the following decades Australians were considered global leaders in the research and development of critical infrastructure and technologies that energised space-enabled businesses.
However, some time ago our leaders lost sight of the critical contribution Australian industry makes to other space-enabled industries such as telecommunications, aviation and climate science. Most importantly, Australia’s local capabilities were for too long overlooked and underutilised by our own national programs. Thankfully that oversight is easing with the Australian Space Agency galvanising collaboration between government, academia and industry.
The formation of the Australian Space Agency in 2018 marked a significant shift in Australia’s commitment to developing local space capabilities. Notably, the Agency’s work advocating for legal and regulatory frameworks allowing space businesses to operate sustainably, and more-recently, sponsoring the National Space Mission for Earth Observation. Its efforts sees Australian capability being put to use for all Australian and offers us all a focal point to gather around.
