Simon Drive reports that any nation that hopes to have a space program needs to be able to keep an eye on its orbiting assets at all times. This means that Australia has become a key link in the global chain of ground-based tracking stations. The U.S. NASA has a deep space tracking facility at Tidbinbilla in the ACT, managed by the CSIRO, and the European Space Agency (ESA) has one in New Norcia, Western Australia.
The New Norcia station plays a further role as it picks up and tracks the ESA launches from French Guiana as they curve across the Indian Ocean on their way to Earth orbit or beyond. This means that Australia plays a critical role in many other countries space programs.
Right now, about 40 space missions, including deep space planetary explorers, Mars rovers, solar observatories and astronomical space observatories, are routinely downlinking their data through radio dishes on Australian soil. This uniquely acquired data is then piped out of the country to the eagerly waiting U.S. and European scientific communities, bypassing our own.
If Australia is to capitalize on its strengths in space tracking as well as space science, and is to get on board with the burgeoning commercial space industry, it is time that they considered forming a space agency of their own.
A space agency serves several roles. First and foremost is the creation of coherence across a complex sector. In particular, the agency would need to coordinate and drive the development of homegrown space technologies. It can develop collaborative space missions with partner agencies, operate and manage diverse space platforms, engage in the establishment of space protocols, and participate in the exploration of the solar system and the study of the universe.
It can also oversee the management of the Australian landmass, oceans and atmosphere, and help provide sovereign security.
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