Australia expressed its plans to develop a series of space satellites last year. However, the country has decided to axe the program.
Australia Axes Satellite Program
Australia announced on Friday that it was scrapping a $1 billion plan to build a number of space satellites as it strives to cut expenses in the face of a slowing economy and the rising cost of living issues, Phys.org reported.
A vital component in building an Australian space sector, the Aus$1.2 billion (US$770 million) National Space Mission for Earth Observation (NSMEO) was merely unveiled last year.
The program aimed to plan, develop, and manage four Earth observation satellites deployed between 2028 and 2033.
The information aids in weather forecasting, disaster response, and environmental management.
The idea, however, will be abandoned for "budget repair" purposes, according to the nation's center-left administration, leaving Australia dependent on earth data from foreign partners.
Ed Husic, the minister of industry and science, said on Friday that "tough decisions" must be made to prioritize "broader environmental things" while battling inflation. He stated that if he didn't trim a billion there, he would need to find it somewhere in the portfolio.
There are further ways to increase our capacity, and they are interested in doing so. Thus, they decided to axe the space program.
Despite weak growth and a continuous rise in defense spending, Australia's government has pledged to balance the budget this year.
The decision to discontinue the satellite program was deemed "shortsighted" by the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA).
It will jeopardize the Albanese government's plans for the environment, national security, STEM, advanced manufacturing, and creating tech jobs, as well as those of the Australian space lobby.
Australia's Space Future is Reportedly at Risk
The Australian government has canceled the National Space Mission for Earth Observation (NSMEO), adding to the recent cancellations of the Australian spaceports program and space access funding, both intended to bring Australian space tech into the global space economy. This decision devastates Australia's space sector, future economy, industrial base, and international reputation.
It undermines other government initiatives like the National Reconstruction Fund, which Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic has announced the space industry can access, in a perplexing move against a national strength, per The Strategist.
A major organizing element for the National Reconstruction Fund should be to take advantage of space's advantages as a sector and a domain.
The government aims to invest in technologies such as additive manufacturing, robotics, quantum, automation, and big data management, all of which have numerous applications in the space sector. A route to dependable, sustainable, and incredibly affordable energy for the entire planet is provided by space-based solar power.
Any nation serious about space should have its national space mission. It can give the industry a framework for the organization and guarantee funding and demand for space services, including mission control, data management from space and the earth, satellites, payloads, and launch facilities. It makes it possible to take a coordinated approach to build the skill set required by the public and private sectors for increasingly complicated tasks.
The NSMEO could have ensured that Australian businesses remained competitive and maintained their capacity to enter a market projected to be worth more than US$1.5 trillion by 2040. Unfortunately, that chance was passed up, according to The Strategist.
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