Airbus subsidiary, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), has announced Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen innovation district as the location for the company’s first office in the Southern Hemisphere.
The UK-based manufacturing company that develop satellite products and services including payloads, subsystems and equipment, has supported more than 20 countries in developing their space capability.
Adelaide was selected as the base for SSTL to service the rest of Australia due to its thriving space ecosystem, central location and proximity to the Australian Space Agency and the Defence Science and Technology Group headquarters in Adelaide CBD and Edinburgh, respectively.
SSTL Managing Director Phil Brownnett, said the company would look to stimulate local growth and competitiveness by sharing its knowledge, experience and intellectual property.
“We will bring our world-renowned technology to Australia, to support local companies to take a step-up in sovereign capability,” he said.
SSTL’s South Australian operations will be led by Clive Oates, SSTL Head of Five Eyes Nations.
Through its partnership with the Defence Science and Technology Group’s Resilient Multi-mission Space (RMS) STaR Shot, SSTL will also be looking at how it can strategically support Australian companies to deliver sovereign capability through planned national programs.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close said SSTL’s arrival will further complement South Australia’s space industry.
“World-leading capabilities within the space industry, alongside global space companies, are creating incredible growth within the space sector and showcasing our state’s strengths within the industry,” she said.
The arrival of SSTL in Adelaide reaffirms the state’s reputation as the country’s centre of gravity for space activity, with an increasing number of international space companies choosing to establish operations in South Australia.
