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South Australia To Be Home To Australia's New Space Agency (abc.net.au)

Posted by BeauHD on from the home-sweet-home dept.

"South Australia, which has a history with space events long ago, is set to become the base for the Australian space industry," writes Slashdot reader Badooleoo. ABC News reports: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Adelaide will be the home of Australia's new space agency. South Australia beat strong competition from other states to secure the headquarters, after enlisting homegrown NASA astronaut Andy Thomas to help with its campaign. The agency will be based at Lot Fourteen, the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site, which is being transformed into an innovation precinct. The Prime Minister said South Australia was an ideal home for the new agency and was already a key hub for the space and technology industry. "This agency is going to open doors for local businesses and Australian access to the $US345 billion global space industry," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. "Our Government's $41 million investment into the agency will act as a launching pad to triple Australia's space economy to $12 billion and create up to 20,000 jobs by 2030."

33 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Space agency launching what? by melted · · Score: 1

    Kangaroos?

    1. Re:Space agency launching what? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      After the recent anti-encryption bill that was enacted into law, I wouldn't trust any range safety officers self destruct signal, that's for sure...

    2. Re:Space agency launching what? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Australia goes all the way to about 10 degrees south of the equator. Kourou is at about 5 degrees north. Why do you say that there is no advantage there? In terms of, say, moving a launch site from Canaveral to Kourou, you're basically 90% there in terms of getting Kourou's equatorial advantages.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    3. Re: Space agency launching what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Avoid dealing with shitty smelly parasites hindu-chimps. They will suck out all your money and secrets, leaving you pointing a finger at yourself for being such a dumbass.
      Just observe NASA lately.

      At this point, the Australians would do well to hire as many Indian rocket scientists as they can get, given how they have already launched several successful missions of their own.

    4. Re:Space agency launching what? by JohnboyHolmes · · Score: 1

      But South Australia won and it's closest equatorial point is 26 degrees south, a similar distance to the equator as Cape Canaveral's 28 degrees north. Having driven through outback South Australia I can personally attest to how remote and rugged a lot of that area is. It isn't ideal for launching rockets because it is a long way to transport equipment and for folks working out there it is boring and a long way to travel back to family/friends.

      --
      I stopped thinking I was unique when I found out everyone else was to. So does that make me the average user???
    5. Re:Space agency launching what? by Rei · · Score: 2

      I don't understand why they chose South Australia and gave up the advantages of a site closer to the equator. I mean, it's not like there's no decent roads to the northeast. And then the population density drops way off after Cairns. You've got open sea to the east-northeast. Etc.

      Going with South Australia makes me think that they're mainly looking at polar launches. Otherwise, they're launching over land - and while it's sparsely populated land, there will still by cities and roads downrange. And even ignoring accidents, what about expended stages? Unless they're going the SpaceX route... Well, at least if a failed launch or expended stage were to land on Coober Pedy, a lot of people would be underground ;)

      --
      Seen on a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use."
    6. Re:Space agency launching what? by skegg · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't understand why they chose South Australia and gave up the advantages of a site closer to the equator.

      Also, why we spend billions upon billions BUILDING submarines in South Australia when we could just buy them from an ally for a fraction of the price.

      Oh, that's right: pork barrelling

    7. Re:Space agency launching what? by nnappe · · Score: 1

      Well, not necessarily.
      South Australia vs somewhere else in the country but to the north means the things are still done in Australia.
      Importing a submarine from another country means that you missed on the research and development capabilities generated by building it yourself. Now, theres the question of whether those capabilities are worth the price. But then the two cases are different, and you'll find that those allies probably do not buy a lot of their equipment and instead make sure that they can build their own, regardless of cost

    8. Re:Space agency launching what? by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      I don't understand why they chose South Australia and gave up the advantages of a site closer to the equator.

      Same reason that Pawsey isn't anywhere near the Murchison radio quiet zone. Where would you rather build an office whose main job it is to coordinate with industry and academia, Adelaide or Jabiru?

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    9. Re:Space agency launching what? by Rei · · Score: 1

      The lowest-energy way to get to orbit is to launch as close to the equator as possible. You *can* get to orbit from anywhere, in any direction, but it makes it a lot harder (higher energy requirements = smaller payloads).

      With polar orbits you basically say, "Screw it, we're doing it the hard way because we want a non-equatorial orbit". There's a number of advantages for certain types of missions. One is that you can fly over every part of the world (if you launch at a given latitude heading east, your orbit will only be between that latitude north and south). Another advantage is that you can do sun-synchronous low-earth orbits.

      --
      Seen on a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use."
    10. Re:Space agency launching what? by stepho-wrs · · Score: 1

      So you think out sourcing national security is a better idea?

      Hopefully the Australian industry retains the ability to design and make advanced stuff (or at least the opportunity to learn).
      Better than being a nation of consumers that simply sells our iron ore to buy what other countries make.
      Well on our way to being a 3rd world country :(

    11. Re:Space agency launching what? by stepho-wrs · · Score: 1

      South Australia has enough desert to make the occasional off-coarse rocket less of a problem - instead of landing on someone's head.
      It is "close enough" to the equator .
      It has nearby industrial infrastructure.

      Northern territory doesn't have that last one.

      Personally I think WA also has all those advantages but our pollies didn't shout as loud as SA did.

  2. Doesn't mean much. by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    when some random dude can launch a very successful space agency himself... just saying.

    --
    [($)]
    1. Re:Doesn't mean much. by sheramil · · Score: 2

      Only a Seppo would consider the Australian Prime Minister to be "some random dude".

      Next time you need help with your space program, let us know.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dish

    2. Re:Doesn't mean much. by skegg · · Score: 1

      Apparently even Angela Merkel thinks of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as some random dude

    3. Re:Doesn't mean much. by quenda · · Score: 2

      But Prime Minister Scott Morrison could be the first PM with plans to ascend physically into space himself,
      - as a Pentecostalist in the Rapture.

      I'm sure in the US you are quite accustomed to religious fundamentalists in power, but this is a new one for us.
      Fortunately, he will be gone in a few months.

    4. Re:Doesn't mean much. by sd4f · · Score: 1

      Only to have an even bigger wet noodle as a replacement, in Bill Shorten...

      I'm starting to think that if China were to invade Australia and end democracy, they'd be doing us a favour...

    5. Re:Doesn't mean much. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      As we learned from the Stargate documentary, if you want to Ascend, your physical body does have to die.

    6. Re:Doesn't mean much. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      You don't have Democracy, that's why you don't get to vote on which wet noodle leads your country.

      As is true in every other Representative Parliamentary system, none of your leaders would have actually won a national election.

    7. Re:Doesn't mean much. by sd4f · · Score: 1

      Yea got me there, I understand well that we don't have 'democracy' as is so often flippantly used. Best description I can find is that we have an electocracy. While the description for 'totalitarian democracy' more or less describes what we have, it still uses democracy, which infers that people have the power. We only sort of have the power to chose who lords over us, but you already know that.

  3. Re:Which is really stuuupid by aevan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For equatorial orbits, sure.If you want polar, then south wins. Maybe they want to capitalise on a niche. Or it could just be that the HQ is in one spot, and they launch from elsewhere...since the story is about who won the HQ. Article even points to it being political

  4. Why SA ? by Kuruk · · Score: 1

    May as well put it in Tasmania ? It's even further from the equator.

  5. Time for the T-shirts by scdeimos · · Score: 3, Funny

    https://spaceaustralia.com.au/

  6. The NBN of space :) by captbollocks · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It could be the equivalent of the National Broadband Network, which cost billions to lay down a third national data network and ended up being so slow that most 3rd world countries I have visited have much higher internet speeds in the countryside than my mother who lives in a major city.

    1. Re:The NBN of space :) by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Oh? Are we going to vote for a different political party next election who out of spite will decide that any spaceship launched from Australia must not be capable of withstanding a vacuum?

  7. The history of space in Australia isn't flattering by Myself · · Score: 2

    https://quokkaspace.wordpress....

    It's a long read but full of ire at mismanagement and dashed hopes. Here's hoping they turn a corner someday.

  8. Wouldn't Northern Australia be better by Chrisq · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't Northern Australia be better, as it's closer to the equator?

  9. Re:Which is really stuuupid by Micah+NC · · Score: 1

    I thought you would want something closer to the equator (than just south) so you get the rotational velocity of the earth in launches. The equator is where you have the most rotational velocity.

  10. Re:Which is really stuuupid by aevan · · Score: 1

    Ah, my bad, was using relative references. "If you want a polar orbit, you want to launch closer to the poles, so as to not have as much rotational velocity to negate. For those types of launches, south australia (c.40 degrees south) wins. If you want equatorial orbits, the most northern parts of australia (c. 13degress south) is far superior since you that extra speed."
    I'd rule out Tasmania as you'd need to include a sea crossing, unless you had built the rockets there.

  11. Big steps by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    "Our Government's $41 million investment into the agency "

    It's Australia, they are taking giant leaps with an empty pouch, even the animals there are doing it that way.

  12. Re:Which is really stuuupid by sd4f · · Score: 1

    It is, we have a government which is on the nose and highly unlikely to win an upcoming election, which if I recall is going to be held in may. A few influential politicians are pushing for money to be spent in their states/electorates so that they at least win their own seats.

  13. Re:The history of space in Australia isn't flatter by sd4f · · Score: 1

    Without knowing a whole lot detail on the topic, being an Australian, I would hazard a guess that where there's public money, someone's mates get a good gig and get jobs where they do very little, have no appreciation of the subject, and achieve absolutely nothing, while getting a decent paying job in the process.

    So the problem is, I don't think anything will change. The set up of this agency is already an endeavour in pork barrelling, so I doubt anything will come of it.

  14. Re:Northern Austrailia by sd4f · · Score: 1

    If its purpose is to launch rockets, then it would make sense. I think its purpose is more along the lines of cronyism for some mates before they lose the next election and won't be able to for at least 3 years.