Space industry professionals, decision makers and researchers from across Australia and the globe came together for the nation’s premier space event, the 13th Australian Space Forum, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Thursday 3 March 2022.
Hosted by the Andy Thomas Space Foundation, the event attracted more than 900 attendees in-person and virtually, along with a record 71 space organisations and companies in the forum’s largest exhibition area.
Minister for Defence and Science and Technology Melissa Price MP, head of the Australian Space Agency Dr Enrico Palermo, and Canadian Space Agency president Lisa Campbell were among eight national and international keynote speakers who shared insights on a number of pressing space-related issues.
Participants engaged with guest speakers presenting on topics including national and international space trends, space traffic coordination and management and research enabling long-term space habitation.
Once again, the Space Passport sessions were a huge success with 85 students from seven South Australian schools attending to learn more about space careers, pathways and subjects needed to access pathways. Since 2019, the Space Passport has had almost 400 students attend sessions, and over 1,500 conversations between students and industry have been had.
The forum was also a launch pad for a number of key announcements and highlights, including:
- Minister Price MP announcing the Space Strategic Update (SSU), a new unified strategy between the civilian and Defence sectors, and abolishing space launch permit fees.
- Adelaide company AICRAFT and NSW-based Antaris Space partnering to test artificial technologies for satellite systems.
- Eight defence and space companies joining forces to launch The Australian Defence Industry Space Capability Alliance (ADISCA), a new industry collaboration aimed at boosting nation’s sovereign space capabilities.
- The unveiling of the official logo for Australia’s first state satellite, Kanyini.
- The Andy Thomas Space Foundation launched more than $300,000 in scholarships and prizes as part of the their 2022 Space Education Fund.
Planning is already underway for the next Australian Space Forum. Save the date for the 14th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide – Tuesday 25 October 2022.
