• Air Commodore Phil Gordon, Director General Air Defence and Space, RAAF, speaking at the ADM Space Summit 2021. (ADM/ Roya Ghodsi)
    Air Commodore Phil Gordon, Director General Air Defence and Space, RAAF, speaking at the ADM Space Summit 2021. (ADM/ Roya Ghodsi)
  • Air Commodore Nick Hogan, Director General – Space Domain Review, RAAF, giving his keynote address. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
    Air Commodore Nick Hogan, Director General – Space Domain Review, RAAF, giving his keynote address. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
  • Delegates gathered for what was for many, their first in-person event since lockdown. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
    Delegates gathered for what was for many, their first in-person event since lockdown. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
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ADM's 3rd Annual Space Summit took place in Canberra, last week, held at the Hyatt Hotel. Bringing together Australian Defence and government leaders, industry and researchers, the Summit focused on how Australia can grow its space sector, be ready to meet opportunities and respond to threats.

Chaired by James Brown, CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia, the audience heard from industry thought leaders, who outlined the opportunities and challenges for Australia’s space sector. Chris Hewett, General Manager, Strategy and Growth, Australian Space Agency, gave the opening keynote address, putting the current state of the sector in focus and articulated the role of the Agency as the “front door for Australia’s international space engagement … [ensuring that] Australian industry secures a greater share of the global space market”. Mr Hewett outlined the need for the Agency to help facilitate the Australian space sector’s entry and meaningful contribution to global supply chains, and its objective to grow a $12 billion Australian space industry delivering 30,000 jobs, by 2030.

Air Commodore Nick Hogan, Director General – Space Domain Review, RAAF, giving his keynote address. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
Air Commodore Nick Hogan, Director General – Space Domain Review, RAAF, giving his keynote address. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)

The increasingly congested, contested and competitive nature of space, and its role as a critical operational domain, was highlighted by Air Commodore Phil Gordon, Director General Air Defence and Space, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Air Commodore Nick Hogan, Director General – Space Domain Review, RAAF, built on this – outlining the lack of recognised international standards to manage untoward and aggressive behaviour. Air Commodore Hogan underlined the need to develop sovereign space capability as not just a Defence consideration, but also one of national sovereignty. This requires whole of government, multilateral approaches to the safe and sustainable use of space, not least to avoid a regional arms race through international cooperation and transparency. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Malcom Davis reflected upon the current geopolitical state of and pressures within the space domain, inviting participants to consider what our defence-focused approaches to space may look like in the future.

Industry speakers from L3 Harris, EOS, Equatorial Launch Australia, Gilmour Space Technologies and others, and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade – Australia’s international trade and investment attraction agency), highlighted the significant export opportunities for Australia’s space sector. Speakers and panellists outlined the role that Australian launch infrastructure and capability will provide international customers. Rebecca Shrimpton, Head of Defence, Space and Infrastructure, Austrade, synthesised this, highlighting the significant role of private investment in developing a competitive Australian space sector and the importance of government and private actors working together to access new and emerging trade markets.

Two key themes during the Summit were the need to promote and educate the general public of the criticality of space for daily

Delegates gathered for what was for many, their first in-person event since lockdown. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)
Delegates gathered for what was for many, their first in-person event since lockdown. (ADM/Roya Ghodsi)

life, and to better support Australian space companies at all stages of growth. How Australia supports our space companies to achieve success, including our appetite to fail, whether our current regulatory and policy settings are fit for purpose and the need to recognise commercial opportunities extending beyond launch services, were all topics of hot discussion. With more than 200 participants, there was keen audience participation with keynote speakers and panel members, with varied questions asked throughout.

If you missed out on the 2021 Summit, make sure you’re ready for 2022.

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