Austronauts?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-...e-cards-as-australia-announces-review/8703740

I'm not holding my breath for adequate funding.

 

Well, if we're going to have Elon Musk down here building his giant battery, we can ask him to build some rockets too.

I wonder to what extent Australia might be able to attract companies like SpaceX simply on the basis of "we've got a bunch of empty land and we'll let you have it for a dollar". Especially for plans as grand as SpaceX's (lots of satellites for global internet, lots of launches to prepare supplies for Mars) just being able to do everything on land (no more barges, the rockets can land wherever they want in the middle of the desert) without bothering anybody could be a bit of a drawcard.

 

I don't know much about this field, but...

... Is there any point in us having our own Space Program? Would we not be better off being a part of a team with other countries?

 

I doubt that there's any intention of actually giving Australia a "complete" space program (ie Australian made and designed rockets launching Australian made and designed satellites).

More likely when NASA (and others) do something like the ISS or the James Webb telescope, Australia will be able to put its hand up for "we'll design and build <some part of one module> in exchange for improved access to the data!" Maybe we'll do some partially home-grown satellites (probably a bunch of off-the-shelf systems from US vendors with a bit of Australian hardware added) to be launched on other peoples' rockets.

 

Like New Zealands!

 

aussie flag covering over the US flag..... all made in China...

 

Australia could host a commercial space port (lease arrangements ala airports) without running a space program. I think the main issue is that there's limited orbits you can get in to by launching from AU.

We already have a cluster of commercial satellite management services and control rooms.

Getting Musk in with the battery farm, perhaps wooinghim with gov grants to take over manufacturing plants in SA to fix the manufacturing/job crisis... Might as well go all in and offer a new base for SpaceX and a tunnel linking it to the main cities!
Imagine the Nullabor Hyperloop... Perth to Adelaide. Zoom.

 

"Australia already has significant involvement in national and international space activities"

read, we still use the stuff we built 50yrs ago to communicate to the real space activities that we have no part in supporting.

Our government has been cutting funds and shutting down CSIRO space related (by any definition) projects and ensuring our education system puts us firmly behind even developing countries in regards to space science, research, exploration, travel etc. Our politicians if anything will do a half assed effort that will never get started : insert any usual excuse about miscommunication and vendors unable to meet their obligtions etc. Refer to NBN, MultiFunction Police et al.

building rockets and training astronauts? nah will never happen here with the aussie government. but they'd raise taxes to pay for it no worries!

 

Maybe we will get into space when we realise there's plenty of real estate and rocks up there.

 

Probably the only chance we'd have to get some real science investment happening in this country.

You know, other than digging rocks out of the dirt.

 

Gilmour Space Technologies is working hard to do a bunch of tests that will lead to an orbital rocket system. The factory is located at Pimpama, Queensland.