The largest aeronautics and space company in Europe, Airbus, has announced its commitment to becoming part of the Australian Space Park in Adelaide.
A global pioneer in the manufacturing and delivery of aerospace products, services and solutions, Airbus is committed to delivering Australian industry capability and will be the first prime to invest and engage with Australia’s space sector through a dedicated assembly and integration (AI) presence.
Airbus Defence and Space Managing Director, Richard Franklin, said South Australia is the burgeoning hub for Australia’s space industry and is the natural choice for Airbus to set up a Space Assembly and Integration presence where they will produce large-scale satellites up to 300kg.
“Our vision for this facility is to provide a national asset to support the Australian Government’s wider strategic aspiration to build a sustainable space industry,” said Mr Franklin.
“We look forward to working closely with the Government of South Australia and industry to help lead this vision.”
The Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, said securing a global company such as Airbus is a significant coup for the state’s growing space sector.
“Airbus’ involvement in the Australia Space Park will open a pipeline of opportunities for local manufacturers,” said Premier Malinauskas.
“The space industry offers a huge potential for South Australia, as we attract more and more companies to our state, we will continue to be at the forefront of supporting sovereign space capability which will enable the development, integration, assembly and testing of space hardware.”
The Australian Space Park will be the nation’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub and, once in operation, will boost space manufacturing capability and capacity within a purpose-built facility, as well as offer the opportunity to construct a common user facility to support small satellite constellation manufacturing as well as other spacecraft and components.
The Australian Space Park will help to support the national aim to triple space’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product to $12 billion by 2030 and will boost South Australia’s growing reputation for industry capability within the global space and advanced aerospace sectors.
Airbus will join previously announced space companies Fleet Space Technologies, Alauda Aeronautics, ATSpace and Q-CTRL in advancing the nation’s space manufacturing capability at the Australian Space Park.
Learn more about the Australia Space Park
Image: The Hon. Nick Champion MP with Airbus Defence and Space Managing Director, Richard Franklin, at the Australian Space Discovery Centre.
