Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 1 July 2025, we marked seven years since the official establishment of the Australian Space Agency. But Australia's rich history with space goes well beyond the last seven years. Nearly 60 years ago we played a crucial role in the mission to put the first man on the moon, with the Parkes Observatory coordinating with the NASA Apollo 11 mission. The famous footage we've all seen of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was broadcast from the Parkes Observatory. More recently, in my own backyard of South Australia, we have played a critical role in the build and operation of several key missions utilising space. The Albanese Labor government values the contribution of the space sector to the Australian economy and to delivering a future made in Australia.

Today, the Australian space sector generates $4.6 billion each year. It employs 17,000 full-time workers across more than 620 organisations nationwide, and it is powering new opportunities for industry, science and sovereign capability. In just a few weeks, Australia will proudly host the 76th International Astronautical Congress, with more than 6,000 attendees expected to attend from over 90 countries. There, the world will see what Australia has built and where we're going. It's absolutely no surprise that space launch applications have increased fivefold since 2021. This is proof of a sector alive with innovation, ambition and investment.

The Australian Space Agency has been central to this momentum, delivering $171 million in grant funding to 91 projects benefiting more than 200 Australian organisations. These programs are enabling companies to develop world-class capability in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Our space agency is also leading on projects that inspire the nation. A $42 million program is supporting the development of the Roo-ver, Australia's lunar rover. The Roo-ver will join NASA on a lunar mission, supporting 50 direct and 100 indirect jobs across 20 Australian organisations. This is a clear sign of how our industry is shaping innovation and providing jobs in Australia.

The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has also made a $25 million investment in Myriota, a South Australia based company leading the way in satellite telecommunications. Backing companies to succeed is what Future Made in Australia is all about.

Additionally, more than 25 Australian government agencies now rely on space capability every day. Earth observation satellites support over 170 digital programs, the Bureau of Meteorology uses over 30 satellite data streams, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority relies on near real-time satellite data to manage our rivers and Geoscience Australia provides over 35 years of free and open satellite imagery mapping changes to our land and coasts. That is why, in the 2024-25 budget, the Albanese government invested over $200 million to upgrade the Alice Springs ground station and expand advanced data processing and analytics, and this is why the CSIRO continues to connect Australia to the universe, assisting the operation of NASA's Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the European Space Agency's New Norcia station and our national radio astronomy facilities.

Our achievements in space are not just about satellites and capability; they're about inspiration. Since opening in 2021, the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide has welcomed over 165,000 visitors including 18,000 students. Through outreach programs, our space agency now reaches an average monthly audience of 20 million people through traditional, social and digital media. This is a whole new generation of Australians inspired by space, as much as we were in 1969.

The Southern Launch program is also putting South Australia's best foot forward, operating both the Koonibba Test Range and the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. In 2025 they made history with multiple commercial re-entries at Koonibba. The landing of Varda's W-2 capsule in February was the first return to a commercial spaceport anywhere in the world, followed by the W-3 capsule in May. These missions are pioneering medicine manufacturing in microgravity, developing new pharmaceuticals. In May 2024 Germany's HyImpulse successfully launched its SR75 rocket as well.

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