An Australian Space Agency At Last?

Dante_J writes "In the Australian Federal budget presented last night, as well as big national infrastructure spending, an amount of $48.6 million over four years was allocated for an 'Australian Space Science Program.' Normally a space program is managed by a space agency. Does this now mean that Australia will follow the recommendations of the Senate Space Science report and give up its rather inadequate title of the only top-20 GDP nation not to have one? With nations like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Bulgaria forming or maintaining space agencies, this government infrastructure is obviously not limited to G-20 nations. Discussions to combine Australian and New Zealand airspace have been undertaken; should that translate to aerospace too, and both nations form an ANZAC space agency together?"

Comments

Re:Not enough

[flyingsquid]

The $10 million per year funds development of an advanced, lightweight carbon-fiber device, the Primitive Orbital UNit Cargo Holder, or POUCH. This device is attached to the side of US and Russian launch vehicles, and the Australians can then place tiny rockets and satellites in the POUCH to launch them into orbit. Launch vehicles are recovered using a novel mechanism. Giant steel springs are attached to the bottom of the launch vehicles; after reentering the atmosphere, the vehicles hit the ground, compressing the springs, and the energy is then dissipated as the vehicle bounces across the Australian outback using a hopping motion.

Spaaaaaaaaace

[JudgeSlash]

In space, no-one can hear the dingo taking your baby...

Re:Yeah, but -

[Anonymous Coward]

We just unbolt them from the ground and they fall into space.

Ten Million a Year!

[paulkoan]

Just enough to fund the committee that will take four years to discuss whether an Agency is necessary.

ANZAC?

[grim-one]

"form an ANZAC Space Agency together" So that'd be an Australia and New Zealand Army Corps Space Agency then?