ASICC News

23 June 2008

INTERIM REPORT OF SENATE INQUIRY RELEASED

The Senate Economics Committee released its Interim Report into Australia’s Space Science and Industry Sector on 23 June. A copy can be downloaded by following this link.

The Interim Report extracts some of the key points from the 80 submissions received and also highlights some important evidence arising from the appearances before the Committee.

The Committee has invited supplementary submissions addressing the key questions posed in the interim report. Further public hearings are to be conducted before the preparation of a final report which is due in October.

ASICC will be monitoring the ongoing activities of this Committee and we will prepare a supplementary submission.

1 May 2008

ASICC SUBMISSION TO SENATE INQUIRY RELEASED

ASICC's Submission to the Senate Inquiry into The Current State of Australia's Space Science & Industry Sector has been released and can be downloaded by following this link.

19 March 2008

Inquiry into The Current State of Australia's Space Science & Industry Sector

On 19 March 2008, the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Economics for report no later than October 2008 with an interim report by 23 June 2008:

The current state of Australia's space science and industry sector, examining options to strengthen and expand Australia's position in fields that strongly align with space science and industry, giving consideration to any national strategic coordination requirements and taking into account findings and policy options of the National Innovation System Review, with particular reference to:

Australia's capabilities in space science, industry and education, including:
- existing Australian activity of world-class standard, and areas in which there is currently little or no activity but that are within the technical and intellectual capacity of the country;
- arguments for and against expanded Australian activity in space science and industry, including:
- an assessment of the risks to Australia's national interest of Australia's dependence on foreign-owned and operated satellites,
- the potential benefits that could accrue to Australia through further development of our space capability,
- economic, social, environmental, national security and other needs that are not being met or are in danger of not being met by Australia's existing space resources or access to foreign resources,
- impediments to strengthening and expanding space science and industry in Australia, including limiting factors relating to spatial information and global positioning systems, including but not limited to ground infrastructures, intergovernmental arrangements, legislative arrangements and government/industry coordination, and
- the goals of any strengthening and expansion of Australia's space capability both in the private sector and across government; and
- realistic policy options that facilitate effective solutions to cross-sector technological and organisational challenges, opportunity capture and development imperatives that align with national need and in consideration of existing world-class capability.

The Committee invites written submissions which should be sent to:

Committee Secretary
Senate Economics Committee
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia
 

11 February 2008

ASICC office holders for 2008 appointed

At the meeting of the Executive Council in Canberra today, the following ASICC office holders for 2008 were appointed:

Chair:  Kirby Ikin (Asia Pacific Aerospace Consultants)
Deputy Chair:  Bill Barrett (Asia Pacific Aerospace Consultants)
Deputy Chair:  Gordon Pike (SingTel Optus)
Secretary:  Michael Davis (Adelta Legal)
Treasurer:  David Ball (Intelsat)

29 October 2007

new executive council elected at ASICC AGM ON 18TH OCTOBER 2007

The Annual General Meeting of Australian Space Industry Chamber of Commerce  was held at the offices of Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney on Thursday 18th October 2007.

Click here to see a list of Executive Council members elected at the meeting.

19 September 2007

FedSat falls silent - mission ends for Australia’s science satellite

Launched in December 2002 as Australia’s first 21st century satellite, FedSat has finally ceased operations, a full year later than expected and after completing 20,000 orbits of the earth (about one billion kilometers).

The Australian satellite was developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems (CRCSS) as a scientific or research satellite and was launched at the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan.

Contact was lost with the satellite by the ground station at UniSA’s Institute for Telecommunications Research a few months ago, after the first signs that the batteries were finally failing and unable to continue to supply power to keep the satellite functioning.

The FedSat mission was the first Australian scientific satellite placed in orbit for more than 30 years and was used by the research community to gather data on space weather and radiowave propagation. The 58 kg satellite (the size of a bar fridge) also carried instruments used to test new communications technologies and self-healing space computers.

Former CEO of the CRC for Satellite Systems, UniSA’s Pro Vice Chancellor for IT Engineering and the Environment, Professor Andrew Parfitt says FedSat represented a bold initiative by Australian researchers to re-engage directly in space science and technology.

“The FedSat mission provided valuable experimental infrastructure and a wealth of scientific data that will continue to be of use,” Prof Parfitt says.

“Unfortunately the demise of FedSat means we no longer have a space asset with which to conduct new science - at least for the time being.”

With the closure of the CRCSS in December 2005, the Australian Government through the Department of Defence assumed ownership of FedSat in order to extend the initial three-year mission and gather further scientific data for the benefit of the Australian research community.

“The extra data collected has added to the already considerable FedSat legacy,” Prof Parfitt says.

“The Australian space science community is now developing its first decadal plan to ensure that Australia remains engaged in space science and technology at an appropriate level.”
 

18 October 2006

US Announces New National Space Policy

For the first time in ten years the US President has enunciated a new over-arching space policy for the US Government.

According to the new policy document, authorised by President Bush on 31st August 2006, the conduct of US space programs and activities will be a top priority, guided by principles that include a commitment to the exploration and use of outer space by all nations for peaceful purposes and the rejection of any claims to sovereignty over outer space.

However in a notable development in its international space policy, the US now explicitly asserts a right to preserve its rights, capability and freedom of action in space including taking those actions necessary to preserve its space capabilities and denying adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to US national interests.

To download a copy of the policy document, click here.
 

18 October 2006

SPACE: THE FINAL BUSINESS FRONTIER

An interesting paper was presented recently at the Space 2006 Conference on the results of a  business case study of the emerging entrepreneurial space industry in the U.S.

One of the conclusions is that the commercial space industry in the US is slowly developing into a purely private and sustainable marketplace. Indications include the fact that private spending on space-related activities has now surpassed that of the government. However, the high cost and high risk, low operational flexibility of launching a payload to orbit remains one of the greatest barriers for an expanding commercial space market, particularly in view of the global oversupply of launch services.

Other observations in the paper include the following:

• Non-traditional investors are entering the industry. According to the authors, 'These tend to be high net worth individuals who are not solely driven by profit incentive, but also by personal interest, altruism, and a desire to challenge the establishment and make a difference in the industry.'
   

• While multiple players are pursuing the sub-orbital tourism market, there is a high degree of demand uncertainty as to the number of passengers and at what price point will drive the industry and there are significant regulatory and legal hurdles that have yet to be overcome.
   

• Space ventures enjoy public fascination and bipartisan support. This should continue to be strong as space tourism industry ramps up. Non-market risks are minimal and manageable.

To download a copy of the paper, click here.
 

29 May 2006

ASICC promoteS Australian participation in microsat missions

During a recent visit to Australia, the Canadian aerospace company ComDev presented a novel concept which might enable Australian organisations to collaborate with the Canadian Space Agency and ComDev on microsatellite missions.  

ASICC provided ComDev’s representative, Mr. Richard Kolacz, with a number of industry contacts and co-hosted a presentation to the Sydney based space community at CSIRO Industrial Physics in Lindfield on 4 May 2006.

The Canadian Space Agency plans to launch a microsatellite every two years. ComDev will be the provider of the satellite bus and will arrange the launch and it has invited Australia to participate in defining the missions and developing the payloads.  This type of collaboration has the potential to significantly lower the actual cost required for Australian participation to a few million dollars per program.

Commenting on the visit, ASICC’s Deputy Chair, Bill Barrett said:
“From my individual discussions with the attendees and Mr. Kolacz it seems that the concept of a collaborative approach to microsat projects coordinated by ComDev and the Canadian Space Agency has generated a lot of interest, particularly since it has the potential to enable Australian concepts and instruments to participate in space missions for significantly reduced costs." 

"The meeting also served an important secondary purpose in bringing together many space interested organisations and individuals based in Sydney who had not met each other before.  This is one of the key goals of ASICC and from that perspective ASICC feels that this meeting was a great success”  Mr Barrett added.

25 January 2006

ASICC Chairman Welcomes National Space Policy Initiative

The Chairman of the Australian Space Industry Chamber of Commerce, Kirby Ikin, today welcomed Senator Grant Chapman's call for a whole of government national space policy.

"The fact that Senator Chapman has received positive responses from the Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers to his recent submission is very good news for the Australian space community" Mr Ikin said.

"I congratulate Senator Chapman on his untiring efforts as an advocate for the space industry and in his initiative in establishing the Space Policy Advisory Group involving many of the leading Australian space players."

"ASICC played a key role in its deliberations. The Space Policy Advisory Group was chaired ASICC Executive Council member, Roy Sach, and Executive Council members Roger Franzen, Bill Barrett, Michael Davis, John Douglas, Andrew Parfitt and Brett Biddington were all contributors to the submission."

"We await the outcome of the Government's deliberations. We are convinced that the time is right for the Government to recognise the importance of a strategic space policy that will protect our vital national interests and recognise the importance of Australia as a participant, rather than as a spectator, in the international space community."

 

 20 January 2006
 

SPACE: A Priority for Australia

"Australia's national security and strategic interests, spanning most government portfolios and essential industry sectors, demand nationally coordinated action on space-related issues," Senator Grant Chapman (Liberal SA), Chairman of the Federal Government's Industry and Resources Committee, said today.

This call for action came in Senator Chapman’s space policy submission ‘SPACE: A PRIORITY FOR AUSTRALIA’, which he has presented for consideration by the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers over the coming months.

Since April 2005, Senator Chapman has developed the submission and established his Space Policy Advisory Group made up of academic, industry and other experts from across Australia to assist.

Senator Chapman has been a long-standing advocate on space policy issues.

“Australia has not assessed the strategic importance and relevance of space and, therefore, has been unable to make well-informed, nationally coordinated decisions on space-related issues," Senator Chapman said.

"It will be fundamentally important to make a policy agency, such as the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, responsible for overseeing an Australian space policy framework.

"Present arrangements are not in our best national interests.

"Failure to take appropriate nationally coordinated action will be to our peril.

"My submission calls for action,” Senator Chapman said.

“It is not immediately apparent that we are so reliant on space-based and space-related technologies.

“Space technologies are essential to resolve vital national interest issues which span a wide range of portfolios together with products and services used by industry, government and citizens.
 

* To download an Executive Summary of ‘SPACE: A PRIORITY FOR AUSTRALIA’, click here

11 January 2006

ESA and ANU Develop New Ion Engine

The European Space Agency and the Australian National University have successfully tested a new design of spacecraft ion engine that dramatically improves performance over present thrusters and marks a major step forward in space propulsion capability. 

Ion engines are a form of electric propulsion and work by accelerating a beam of positively charged particles (or ions) away from the spacecraft using an electric field. ESA is currently using electric propulsion on its Moon mission, SMART-1. The new engine is over ten times more fuel efficient than the one used on SMART-1. "Using a similar amount of propellant as SMART-1, with the right power supply, a future spacecraft using our new engine design wouldn't just reach the Moon, it would be able to leave the Solar System entirely," says Dr Roger Walker of ESA's Advanced Concepts Team, Research Fellow in Advanced Propulsion and Technical Manager of the project.

The new experimental engine, called the Dual-Stage 4-Grid (DS4G) ion thruster, was designed and built under a contract with ESA in the extremely short time of four months by a dedicated team at the Australian National University. "The success of the DS4G prototype shows what can be achieved with the passion and drive of a capable and committed team. It was an incredible experience to work with ESA to transform such an elegant idea into a record-breaking reality", says Dr. Orson Sutherland, the engine's designer and head of the development team at the ANU. During November 2005, the DS4G engine was tested for the first time in ESA's Electric Propulsion Laboratory at ESTEC in the Netherlands, with support from Dr Sutherland and ESA test engineers.

Traditional ion engines use three closely separated perforated grids containing thousands of millimetre-sized holes attached to a chamber containing a reservoir of the charged particles. The first grid has thousands of volts applied, and the second grid operates at low voltage. The voltage difference over the gap between the two grids creates an electric field that acts to simultaneously extract and accelerate the ions out of the chamber and into space in a single step. The higher the voltage difference, the faster the ions are expelled and the greater the fuel efficiency of the thruster. However, at higher voltage differences approaching five thousand volts (5kV), some of the ions collide with the second grid as they are accelerated, thus eroding and damaging the grid and thereby limiting its lifetime in space.

The DS4G ion engine utilises a different concept first proposed in 2001 by David Fearn, a pioneer of ion propulsion in the UK, which solves this limitation by performing a two-stage process to decouple the extraction and acceleration of ions using four grids. In the first stage, the first two grids are closely spaced and both are operated at very high voltage and a low voltage difference between the two (3 kV) enables the ions to be safely extracted from the chamber without hitting the grids. Then, in the second stage, two more grids are positioned at a greater distance 'downstream' and operated at low voltages. The high voltage difference between the two pairs of grids powerfully accelerates the extracted ions.

The test model achieved voltage differences as high as 30kV and produced an ion exhaust plume that travelled at 210,000 m/s, over four times faster than state-of-the-art ion engine designs achieve. This makes it four times more fuel efficient, and also enables an engine design which is many times more compact than present thrusters, allowing the design to be scaled up in size to operate at high power and thrust. Due to the very high acceleration, the ion exhaust plume was very narrow, diverging by only 3 degrees, which is five times narrower than present systems. This reduces the fuel needed to correct the orientation of spacecraft from small uncertainties in the thrust direction.

There is of course still a great deal of work to be done before the new engine design can fly in space. "Working with our industrial partners, the next challenge is to transition this promising new engine design from laboratory experiment to spacecraft flight model and properly define the new missions that it will enable", says José Gonzalez del Amo, Head of Electric Propulsion at ESA. The flight-suitable engines must then be tested: and for ion engines this is a long process.

Since they must operate continuously in space for tens of thousands of hours providing a small thrust, ground tests in a vacuum facility must last several thousand hours to prove their reliability. Only after all this could the first flight models be launched.

Once ready, these engines will be able to propel spacecraft to the outermost planets, the newly discovered planetoids beyond Pluto and even further, into the unknown realm of interstellar space beyond the Solar System. Closer to home, these supercharged ion engines could figure prominently in the human exploration of space. With an adequate supply of electrical power, a small cluster of larger, high power versions of the new engine design would provide enough thrust to propel a crewed spacecraft to Mars and back.

"This is an ultra-ion engine. It has exceeded the current crop by many times and opens up a whole new frontier of exploration possibilities," says Dr Walker.

2nd June 2005

MINING SPACE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE LIFE ON AND UNDER THE GROUND

(AUSTRALIAN SPACE NETWORK & AUSTRALIAN SPACE INDUSTRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEDIA RELEASE)

While Mars Express is searching for water ice beneath the surface of Mars, European Space Agency ground-penetrating radar technology will be searching for water and measuring salinity beneath the surface of Western Australia.

Being able to detect underground water from the air and to determine its salinity is of great interest for the management of water resources in Australia. The Australian Space Network (ASN) and the Australian Space Industry Chamber of Commerce (ASICC) are pleased to announce that ground-penetrating radar trials are planned to be held in Western Australia later this year to see which of three competing systems is the most suitable for water detection and salinity measurement.

This study is the result of a series of workshops held over the last year aimed at applying space technology developed for European Space Agency (ESA) projects to the minerals, mining and exploration sector here in Australia. “ESA has a well-developed technology transfer practice, including a specialty in mining and exploration.” said Philip Young, Coordinator of the Australian Space Network, “They were happy to participate in these workshops organised by ASICC and ASN through an Innovation Access Program Grant from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. The workshops demonstrated that leading edge technologies developed for space use have direct application here on earth. The capabilities of modern ground penetrating radar units generated a lot of interest from in the resources sector and it was even more pleasing to see the interest shown by environmentalists and agricultural researchers.”

While the pilot project to identify underground water should lead to a reasonable airborne survey business with benefits to the mining community, the big payoff for Australia could well come from better understanding of ground water and salinity, particularly in Western Australia where water has surfaced as a political issue.

Another high priority area is mine safety. When material is removed from underground, the surrounding rock becomes stressed. Cracks develop and if they are not detected in time for the mine to be strengthened in the right places, it is possible to have catastrophic collapses. Cave-ins can cost lives, damage machinery and cause extended mine closures, with costs of up to $50,000 for each hour of down-time. ESA, working with Mirarco of Canada and RST Radar Systemtechnik of Germany, has had great success using hand-held ground-penetrating units to detect cracks in potash mines in Canada. A feasibility study being considered is to see whether similar results can be achieved in coal mines in eastern Australia.

The third project under active consideration generated from the workshops is to develop a more accurate gravity meter. Airborne gravity surveys have proven to be extremely valuable in mineral exploration, not so much for direct detection of minerals but as a useful method of characterising the geology of the area being surveyed. This, when combined with other geophysical knowledge and techniques, improves the probability of exploration success. Changes in the gravity field are subtle and data from existing instruments tend to be distorted due to factors such as turbulence around the aircraft. While GPS signals are used to good effect at the moment, there remain limitations on the resolution of the information acquired. Development of a better instrument, employing different techniques and using the Galileo navigation satellite network, will take some time but will result in a more accurate instrument that could lead to discoveries of minerals and gas fields worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

There is a common view that investments in space might be of interest to scientists but do not benefit the economy as a whole. According to Young, nothing could be further from the truth. These workshops prove that space technology has direct application here on earth for one of Australia’s biggest industries, the resource sector. “ESA’s total annual budget is around €5 billion. The benefits of a major resource discovery in Australia could meet or even exceed that figure. The social benefits derived from a better understanding of agriculture, pollutant flows, weather and better water management could be even greater. The technologies developed for space can often have an even greater impact when employed here on earth.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Philip Young
Network Coordinator, Australian Space Network
Member of the Executive Council, Australian Space Industry Chamber of Commerce
0412 018 410
philipyoung@optusnet.co.au
 

17 February 2005

NASA's New Procurement Policy - Space Opportunities for Australia

BACKGROUND

NASA is actively seeking international collaboration as part of the new NASA initiative to return to the Moon and Mars. This is highlighted by a directive from NASA to purchase the best goods and services for each mission regardless of where they are located in the world. This is a dramatic shift away from NASA's previous "buy American only" policy and opens the door to NASA for Australian organisations.

In an attempt to understand the capabilities and interests of organisations around the world NASA is conducting a series of high-level workshops as a means of identifying key capabilities and to allow a registration of interest for participation in various NASA programs along the way to the overall goal. The first of these workshops took place in Washington, D.C. from 16-18 November 2004. This workshop was by invitation only and was directed to the Space Agencies of the world.

Despite the lack of a Space Agency, Australia is seen as a key country by NASA and received an invitation to attend. The invitation was extended to the CSIRO and Dr. Grant Griffiths, Assistant Chief of CSIRO Industrial Physics, represented Australia at this forum. As a result of this initial workshop NASA has established 20 points of contact (POC's) for distributing information. Most of these POC's are within the major space agencies worldwide. NASA is very keen to engage organisations in Australia and despite the fact that Australia does not have a Space Agency NASA has nevertheless established a POC in Australia through CSIRO Industrial Physics in the person of Grant Griffiths. ASICC is also working directly with NASA and CSIRO to help distribute the information and to find ways to maximise the opportunity for Australian organisations.

The next NASA workshop is the Space Science Directorate Workshop in Washington on 9-10 March 2005. This is by invitation only and Australia will be represented. On 11 March 2005 NASA will conduct an Industry Day in Washington to brief interested organisations on its needs for the new mission requirements. This is open to any organisation worldwide that is interested in participating in the NASA initiatives. Interested organisations are invited to register at a website on a first come, first served basis. The website is under construction and the access details will be made available when these are released.

CAPABILITIES SOUGHT BY NASA

NASA has a specific list of capabilities that are considered essential to these new missions. NASA would like countries to comment on their current capabilities in the following fields and their ability to be utilised in support of the planned missions. Note that capability in many of these areas need not necessarily be space qualified at the moment, i.e. a strong background in robotics would be of interest even if there has been no focus on work in space.

1. High-Energy Power and Propulsion
2. In-Space Transportation
3. Advanced Telescopes and Observatories
4. Communication and Navigation
5. Robotic Access to Planetary Surfaces
6. Human Planetary Landing Systems
7. Human Health and Support Systems
8. Human Exploration Systems and Mobility
9. Autonomous Systems and Robotics
10. Transformational Spaceport/Range
11. Scientific Instruments/Sensors
12. In Situ Resource Utilization
13. Advanced Modelling, Simulation, Analysis
14. Systems Engineering Cost/Risk Analysis
15. Nanotechnology

ASICC is in the process of compiling a database of Australian organisations with expertise in the above fields in an effort to promote Australian capabilities in these NASA projects. If your organisation is interested in being included in this database please email our Deputy Chairman, Bill Barrett,  with your relevant contact details and information about your capabilities in the relevant areas of the NASA list. ASICC will incorporate this into our database for use in the ongoing discussions with NASA.