French Flair - Australia Shines at IAC 2022

By Andrew Curran, Correspondent, MySecurity Media

Australia emerged as one of the big winners from the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Congress recently held in France. During the fiveday event, Sydney was announced as the host city for IAC 2025 – an event that is expected to bring around 5,000 delegates to the city from around the world. Sydney’s success follows Adelaide hosting the conference in 2017.

“IAC 2025 will create opportunities for Australian industry – both those already operating in space and those with the potential to contribute – to make new connections, accelerate the adoption of critical technologies and tap into global supply chains,” said Australian Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo.

The Australian Space Agency headed a large Australian contingent at the Congress, including AvComm, NextAero, the Space Industry Association. A sizeable media pack was also present, including MySecurity Media’s General Manager of Industry Engagement, Jessica Bainbridge who was there representing the Australia in Space channel, which was a media partner of the event.

“It was terrific to see so many friendly faces at the Australian stand. Many conversations took place that will no doubt spark strategic partnerships and the alike between Australian and international Space companies, further solidifying our place in the global market,” said Industry Engagement General Manager, Jessica Bainbridge.

Sydney-based Av-Comm presented their locally manufactured Cassowary satellite ground station tracking antenna system in Paris.

“Australia’s geography and climate are perfectly suited to space missions, earth observation and satcoms, and attending IAC22 will give us the chance to let the world know that,” said Managing Director Michael Cratt.

In conjunction with the Australian Space Agency, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) hosted a dedicated Industry Zone within the popular Australia Stand. That stand showcased Australia’s capability across the space sector and was working to identify international opportunities for local space sector firms.

“The IAC is the one place and time of the year where all global space players come together,” said an Austrade official in a statement. But the Australians were competing for the delegate’s attention with over 250 other exhibitors and several high-profile announcements.

The French took advantage of their hometown location to bring in their Prime Minister, Elizabeth Borne, who announced a nine billion Euro budget for the French space sector over the next three years. Ahead of the ultimately successful DART spacecraft crashlanding into the Dimorphos asteroid, an update on that program proved a big drawcard while a session detailing developments with the James Webb Space Telescope MIRI Instrument also attracted crowds.

Next year’s IAC Congress will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in early October, with the 2024 event slated for Milan, Italy. The New South Wales Government, who in conjunction with Tourism Australia, has guaranteed the IAC a return of at least €500,000 (AU$762,00) from the 2025 event, estimates IAC Sydney will generate at least AU$21 million in direct expenditure at local businesses. “Our state already generates up to 75% of Australia’s space-related revenue, and 41% of the country’s space businesses are based in NSW. Hosting IAC 2025 will reinforce NSW as the Australian gateway to the global space community,” said Interim CEO of Investment NSW Katie Knight.

Australian Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo with MySecurity Media’s General Manager of Industry Engagement, Jessica Bainbridge