"Because we have a large land mass in the southern hemisphere, that means we have a role in tracking debris and objects in space," said Anthony Murfett, the deputy head of the Australian Space Agency.
Australia’s is considering joining NASA’s project to build a space station orbiting the moon, a top space agency official tells POLITICO.
Australia's new space agency is considering joining NASA’s program to build a space station orbiting the moon, a top space official tells POLITICO.
Anthony Murfett, the deputy head of the Australian Space Agency, said he believes Australia could contribute the robotic technology for the Lunar Gateway, a key NASA effort to develop a permanent presence on the moon.
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“One of the things we see as an opportunity for us is the automated robotics piece,” Murfett, a former science and education official at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said in a recent interview.
Canada recently committed to build the robotic arm for the Gateway, seeking to expand on the expertise it gained working on NASA's space shuttles and the ISS.
“Canada has taken the lead in the robotics area, but we would like to consider if there are other automated areas within the Gateway," Murfett explained.
The Australian Space Agency, which was established in July 2018, will be attending the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., next week, where it will be seeking to expand international partnerships, Murfett said.
The agency has already signed memorandums of understanding to cooperate with space agencies in France, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. But it will need to build more partnerships to reach its goal of tripling the space economy to reach $12 billion over the next 10 years.
Murfett also spoke about what the space agency has accomplished in its first year and other ways the Australian space industry is poised to contribute to space exploration. He specifically cited Australia's "large land mass in the southern hemisphere and a unique view into the galaxy," explaining that "we can provide capabilities and communications to connect and communicate with space.
"Because we have a large land mass in the southern hemisphere, that means we have a role in tracking debris and objects in space," he added.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
This is Australia’s first year with an official presence at Space Symposium.
The Australian Space Agency was established on July 1, 2018. The purpose we have is to grow and transform our global space industry, to grow the broader economy, and to inspire Australians and improve their lives. A key part is international and national partnerships. … Space Symposium really provides a great venue for us to tell our story about Australia’s competitive advantages, build on relationships and explore new opportunities.
What have you been doing since the agency was stood up less than a year ago?
We need to open doors internationally, and the other thing we’ve been looking to do is coordinate activities across Australia. … We want to put our story on the world stage.
Since we’ve been established we’ve had the Australian and international community really come behind us. … We’ve already established four [memorandums of understanding] with counterpart space agencies … in France, Canada, the United Kingdom and most recently the United Arab Emirates. … The agreements specify areas where Australia and those countries could collaborate
We’re working closely with industry. … Our purpose is very much focused on the health of industry and [research and development] to reflect the heavily commercial space enterprise. … We’ve been talking in Australia and abroad about where they see opportunities for investments. … We’ve signed statements of strategic intent and cooperation where [companies] outline where they see opportunities for investment … with Airbus, Lockheed Martin...and Australian companies like Nova Systems.
How can the Australian Space Agency partner more closely with the U.S. government?
We’re also in conversations with [the European Space Agency] and the U.S. … We held our first Australia-U.S. Civil Space Dialogue at the end of last year … where we discussed opportunities for building on our strong history of collaboration with the U.S. … We’ve had 50 years of collaboration with NASA. … When Neil Armstrong first put his boots on the moon, that TV signal was relayed through Australia.
We do know NASA is undertaking things like the Gateway, [we’re looking at] how can Australia contribute to activities like that.
What are you looking at contributing to the Gateway?
It is early days, but one of the things we see as an opportunity for us is the automated robotics piece. … We think that’s an area we can participate. … Canada has taken the lead in the robotics area, but we would like to consider if there are other automated areas within the Gateway.
Any particular areas Australia has a strong industry?
There are six areas where Australia can bring something to the global space environment. … We have a large land mass in the southern hemisphere and a unique view into the galaxy, so we can provide capabilities and communications to connect and communicate with space. … Because we have a large land mass in the southern hemisphere, that means we have a role in tracking debris and objects in space. Also the [Positioning, Navigation and Timing] area. There are already a range of different [Global Navigation Satellite Systems] constellations. One thing our government has invested in is a satellite space augmentation system that will bring the resolution of GPS from 10 meters to 10 centimeters.
There’s the Earth observation piece. … We’re very good at processing imaging data from satellites.... Robotics, we think that's quite a big area. A lot of our operations are autonomous. … Mining companies often have a mission control facility in the capital city 1,000 miles away where they’re doing the drilling [that is] automated. … The distances are about the same [as space] and the technology is similar.
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