Australia in Space Magazine, Issue 8, 2024 - EDITOR'S DESK

Chris Cubbage CPP, CISA, GAICD | Director & Executive Editor

Welcome to our first edition of the year and timed for the 39th Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, USA and announcing the dates for our 2nd Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference, 26-28 November at Crown Perth, Western Australia.

This edition follows our coverage of the Global Space & Technology Convention, Singapore, Geo Connect Asia, Singapore, and International Global Navigation Satellite Systems (IGNSS) Conference, Sydney. We are also pleased to announce a strategic media partnership with The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, organisers of the Australian Space Forum.

The space sector started 2024 at a rapid pace, with 14 launches from five countries in just the first month. January started with a launch on New Year’s Day by India’s Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and closed with Rocket Lab launching an electron rocket from their New Zealand spaceport.

ISRO’s first launch for the year (local time) used a PSLV-DL rocket, which took into orbit a X-ray astronomy satellite and a multi-experiment payload module. There were also ten attached payloads on the PSLV’s fourth stage, which will perform various experiments for Indian research institutions.

China is shooting for a record 100 space launches this year, second only to the United States, and streaking ahead of other space nations. As of March 25, the country has conducted 13 launches so far this year.

On March 20, a Long March 8 rocket carrying a Queqiao-2 satellite successfully launched from the Wenchang spaceport in the Hainan province. The satellite will act as a communications relay between ground operations on Earth and an upcoming mission to the moon’s far side.

The following day, a Long March-2D carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China with Yunhai-2 02 satellites onboard. It was the 513th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. Yunhai-2 is a constellation of Chinese military meteorological satellites. They will reportedly collect atmospheric data for weather prediction, ionosphere, climate, and gravity research.

This year’s planned launches are a substantial increase from the 67 launches in 2023. China’s Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the state-owned main contractor for the Chinese space program, is behind 70 of this year’s scheduled launches.

As in most advanced technology domains, China is increasingly active and has also opened another permanently manned research station in Antarctica, which may be used to collect signals intelligence from Australia and New Zealand, including telemetry data on rockets launched from both countries.

Chinese state media confirmed the opening of the Qinling base in February, the country’s fifth in Antarctica. However, the positioning of its newest base, on the Inexpressible Island coastline due south of Australia and New Zealand, has raised concerns about China’s intentions.

The stated purpose of Qinling is to study local ecology. However, the dual-purpose nature of such facilities, including the ability to track and communicate with objects in space, adds another layer of complexity to local rocket launches. China has begun taking a greater interest in Antarctica in recent years. Qinling will be the country’s third year-round manned base there. It will house 80 people over the summer and 30 over the winter. A purpose-built pier allows easy access for China’s Antarctic capable vessels.

In addition to supporting China’s own space program, including serving as reference stations for their dual-use BeiDou satellite navigation network, the involvement of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a major player in China’s space sector, in the communications installations at the bases, has raised concerns China’s space agenda in the Antarctic is more than just domestic.

In February, India amended its direct foreign investment rules surrounding the space sector. The Indian government decision to relax direct foreign investment rules in the country’s space industry will be pivotal to achieving an 8% global market share of the space sector by 2033, according to leading local space entities. Until now, it has only been allowed with government approval. But critics said the rule held back the growth of India’s space industry. Under the new regime, manufacturers of satellite components, their systems/ subsystems, and associated ground systems and user systems can secure 100% direct foreign investment without government approval. Manufactures and operators of satellites and spaceports and associated systems or subsystems, can secure incrementally reduced funding through direct foreign investment without government approval, though most will still requires clearance.

India’s space industry shot to prominence last August when it executed a soft landing of a spacecraft near the Moon’s unexplored South Pole region – the first country to touch down in the zone. The country’s space sector is presently valued at around USD8.5 billion, constituting around 2% of the global space economy. On its current trajectory, the domestic space sector’s valuation is tipped to reach approximately USD44 billion by 2033, or 8% of the global space economy.

Closer to home, a treaty-level agreement between Australia and the United States was tabled in the Australian Parliament on February 28, paving the way for the US government and private entities to undertake space launch activities in Australia. The Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) sets down the legal and technical framework to facilitate the correct handling of sensitive technologies and support the launch of US space launch vehicles and satellites in other countries.

The TSA will allow US space technology like rockets and satellites to be launched from Australia. This, in turn, is intended to make Australia more attractive as a global launch hub and potentially supporting growth across the entire supply chain.

Out of the four strategic pillars identified in Australia’s 2019–2028 civil space strategy, in this issue, Dharshun Sridharan analyses the second and as our feature cover – 'Develop national capability.' This pillar is critical to the nation’s space sector. There are competing priorities, all crucial to different stakeholders. More importantly, there is little overlap.

The insights from the recent Defence Strategic Review (DSR), coupled with AUKUS priorities, along with the nation's civil sectors like Health and Education, and amidst global economic uncertainties and tensions, significantly affect capital investment availability, thereby impacting workforce capabilities and capacity. When the goals of the Space Sector become interwoven with other key priorities, the path to achievement becomes increasingly intricate and complex.

As always, we cover the full diversity of the Australian and international space industry and there is so much more to touch on, including live, embedded content in this digital edition. Enjoy the reading, watching and listening.