Eight Australian companies form defence space alliance

Eight leading Australian companies have formed the Australian Defence Industry Space Capability Alliance (ADISCA) to boost the country’s defence industry space capability.

The group includes Gilmour Space Technologies, Nova Systems, Southern Launch, DEWC Systems, Inovor Technologies, Neumann Space, REDARC Defence Systems and Space Machines Company. The ASIDCA was unveiled at the 13^th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide on 3 March.

The move creates a genuine sovereign response to the Commonwealth’s call for Australian industry to provide its expertise to further its defence and national interests in space, according to Ian Spencer, chief executive officer at DEWC Systems.

The collective capabilities of the members include:

• Launch vehicle design and manufacture
• Space vehicle design and manufacture
• Payload design and manufacture
• In-space propulsion
• In-space transportation
• Launch services and mission control services
• Supporting commercial, civil and defence sectors.

The move comes months after Australia’s defence industry set out new strategic priorities in September.

Priorities include robotics, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, space, hypersonic weapons, information warfare and cyber capabilities.

Australia has committed to bolstering the industry in recent years and is set on providing 20,000 new jobs by 2030 within the sector.

It follows a similar move in September when 30 Australian companies and universities, led by Gilmour Space Technologies, announced a $150 million bid for a Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) Collaboration Stream grant to establish new space facilities in Queensland.