Gilmour Space Technologies spearheading $150m space industry project

Gilmour Space Technologies spearheading $150m space industry project

With plans to launch Australian-made rockets and satellites into orbit next year, Gilmour Space Technologies is leading the charge on a $150 million bid to establish three new premises in Queensland.

As head of the Australian Space Manufacturing Network (ASMN), a coalition of Australia's most prominent players in the space sector, Gilmour has received the support of more than 30 businesses and is pushing for federal funding under the Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI).

With current satellite capabilities ranging from sensors and cameras that detect bushfires within minutes to rockets entering space, the possibilities in the industry are galactic.

However, Gilmour Space Technologies CEO Adam Gilmour points out that “the space industry is still very new relative to other industry pillars, and it lacks the funding and basic infrastructure to support it.”

The Gold-Coast based company launched Australia’s first privately developed hybrid rocket in 2016, and secured a European partnership with Exolaunch last month.  

“With participation from six states and territories in Australia, we see this as a genuinely industry-led project that will provide the framework and infrastructure needed to unlock collaborations, create jobs and capability, attract private investment, and advance Australian space technologies from initial concept through to commercialisation and launch,” Adam Gilmour said.

One of the three proposed sites would serve as a common testing and manufacturing facility while the second is slated to provide advanced manufacturing for building commercial rockets and satellites.

The final proposal is for an orbital spaceport at Abbot Point near Bowen in North Queensland, enabling satellites and rockets to be launched into space.

“Australian space manufacturing facilities will unlock Australia’s true potential as a respected space-faring nation," said EOS Communications Systems CEO Glen Tindall.

"The Australian Space Manufacturing Network and the diverse range of partners it brings together, demonstrates the end-to-end benefit these types of facilities will have across Australia and beyond."

ASMN founding members include Swinburne University of Technology, Space Machines Company, Neumann Space, Electro Optic Systems, Greatcell Energy, Spiral Blue, ARM Hub and Griffith University.

ARM Hub CEO Dr Cori Steward sees future potential for the global space economy, which is expected to grow to a trillion dollars by 2030.

“For Australia’s manufacturing future, we need to do bigger business together,” said Steward.

"As a key partner in the Australian Space Manufacturing Network, ARM Hub will be catalysing commercialisation through industry access to the nation’s expertise, de-risking technology adoption and building workforce digital capability, collaboratively.”

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