More than rocket science
What skills does it take to get Australia into space?
By Cole Latimer
What skills does it take to get Australia into space?
EVERY DAY, the engineers and specialists of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) use their diverse set of technical and engineering skills to make Australia a contender in the next space race.
And the people of the ASA are doing whatever they can to help advance Australia’s position in the global space economy. The agency has lead the establishment of Australia’s space sector as a globally competitive player, driving the development of national policy that helps accelerate the country’s space industry and brings together its civil space strategy and defence space strategy.
Additionally, the ASA is focused on a more nimble approach, supporting and accelerating industry and partnering with businesses, facilitating their own growth.
This has created a diverse set of ambitious goals and objectives for an organisation that only officially opened its doors in 2020.
THE ASA AIMS TO HAVE, BY 2026, A REMOTE-CONTROLLED ROVER COLLECTING LUNAR SOIL WHICH NASA WILL STUDY AS PART OF ITS ARTEMIS PROGRAM.
Meet the players
With the ASA trying so many goals, just who are the men and women driving Australia’s space race?
And how are they using their skills to help further Australia’s mission to the moon, Mars and beyond?
Here, create meets some of the people behind the scenes at the ASA. They discuss how their engineering expertise influences their work across leadership, policy, regulation and technical advice and program delivery area. In addition, create asks them what motivates them and their future vision.
Katherine
Bennell-Pegg
“I love being a space systems engineer because I enjoy creatively solving problems in a team environment. I have spent over a decade developing space missions, technologies and programs across more than six countries.
“Missions I’ve worked on include Lisa Pathfinder, MarsHopper technologies, and Orion future concepts.
“Through my training as an astronaut, I am working with our international partners to unlock opportunities for our scientists and engineers, accelerate opportunities for Australians to become more involved in human spaceflight, and help inspire the next generation of the STEM workforce.”
Alexandra
Wickham
“As someone who assesses applications to conduct space activities, and manages complex applications with interdisciplinary teams, my engineering expertise is vital.
“It influences my understanding of risk, systems and analyses, has supported development of professional judgement, given me a language to communicate in, and the ability to synthesise disparate information.
“Space is a fantastic sector to work in, as we are continually learning new concepts to keep up with evolving technology developments. I have seen
the steady increase of new technology developed in Australia to be successfully launched and tested in orbit, and it is exciting to be part of the process which enables this.”
Arvind
Ramana
“From technical oversight of Australia’s first lunar rover, to supporting international diplomacy via subject matter expertise and scoping pathways for improving productivity of our critical sectors such as mining and agriculture through use of space technology, my everyday job relies upon my engineering expertise.
“My background helps in selecting the projects that will provide the best return on investments for the taxpayer dollars.”
Aude
Vignelles
“A background in engineering is critical to informing space policy design, and in assessing the feasibility of the projects the Australian Space Agency is supporting, to ensure the strongest outcomes for our nation.
“Engineering skills also provide a unique understanding of how government’s bills and policies may also impact our industry.
“All the agency’s major programs, including the International Space Investment Initiative, Space Infrastructure Fund and Moon-to-Mars initiative have been designed with input from engineers
“It’s one of the ways we know that projects can be delivered within the budget we have.”
Photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash
Photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash
Blasting off
Driving the development of a new industry and supporting the green shoots of Australia’s space sector requires a strong foundation.
The ASA says Australia already has a competitive advantage thanks to its engineering, science and mathematics capabilities.
This includes areas as varied as traditional disciplines like aerospace, mechanical and chemical engineering through to more digital skill sets like game developers, who build games in virtual and augmented reality to analyse and simulate data through machine learning processes and make intelligence decisions, and even cyber security specialists.
Among the ASA’s significant goals are to act as the heart of the nation’s space industry; provide a platform that knits together technical and professional expertise to help guide government policy and regulate the country’s space activities; help Australia’s space-focused business to secure funding opportunities; and provide a platform for international engagement.
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