SPACE INDUSTRY
761. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the minister representing the
Minister for Science:
The
2022–23 budget saw $6.5 million go to WA's space sector, with
$4 million to the Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth consortium and $2.5 million to Curtin University's
Binar space program. Given that innovation in space requires long-term
commitments, I ask the following.
(1) What are the longer term funding
arrangements for AROSE and its remote lunar rover program?
(2) Does the government intend to
allocate further funding for CubeSat spacecraft?
(3) When will Western Australia's
dedicated satellite constellation be online?
Hon DARREN
WEST replied:
I
thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. On behalf of the
Minister for Regional Development, I provide the following answer.
The government's $4 million
co-investment in AROSE supports headquarter operations for the 2022–26
period, including the employment of core
AROSE staff. AROSE is seeking to become financially self-sustaining after this period.
(1) AROSE is
seeking Australian government funding to support its lunar rover program through
the Australian Space Agency's $50 million Trailblazer program. The Western
Australian government has committed $4.4 million to support AROSE's
Trailblazer stage 1 project if its ASA bid is successful.
(2) The
government has committed $2.5 million to support Curtin University's
Binar CubeSat space program for the 2022–26
period. There is no additional funding currently allocated for CubeSat
spacecraft. However, the government will assess any future proposals
received.
(3) Seven
Binar CubeSats—Binar-1 to Binar-7—will form Western
Australia's first satellite constellation. Binar-1 was launched
in August 2021. Binar-2 to Binar-7 are due to be launched in 2023
and the constellation is due to be online in the months following this final
launch. The program has experienced delays due to the worldwide shortage of
microchips.