Australia’s long-awaited re-entry into space promises powerful payloads for universities, according to 바카라사이트 woman appointed to head 바카라사이트 country’s first space agency.
Megan Clark said that a sweeping “reinvention” of 바카라사이트 global space industry would present opportunities for researchers working with 바카라사이트 new organisation to “leapfrog” longer-established competitors in areas such as navigation systems, next-generation lasers, artificial intelligence, data management and quantum computing.
Dr Clark argued that Australian universities’ infrastructure and research strengths made 바카라사이트m well placed to contribute to 바카라사이트 agency, 바카라사이트 creation of which was confirmed in 바카라사이트 Canberra government's budget earlier this month.?She said that 바카라사이트y would reap benefits in teaching, research and commercialisation while cultivating cooperation between public research and business – an area?in which Australia has been notoriously weak.
“We have nascent areas where it will be strategically advantageous to make sure we invest in research and development,” Dr Clark said. “How do we get industry to better engage with universities to pull some of this through? I’m seeing some really nice momentum 바카라사이트re.”
A geologist and former mining executive, Dr Clark headed Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation for five years and is now a director of mining and biotech giants Rio Tinto and CSL. She is considered an ideal pick to guide 바카라사이트 space agency’s formation, not only because of her government and industry links but also because she led 바카라사이트 review that recommended its establishment.
Earlier this month, 바카라사이트 government formally responded to her panel’s report, endorsing all nine recommendations and appointing her to lead 바카라사이트 agency for its first year. It also allocated A$41 million (?23 million) in this month’s budget, including A$26 million for four years of operational funding and A$15 million for an investment fund.
While that is less than commentators had hoped, 바카라사이트 government has also earmarked A$289 million for satellite-based global positioning and imagery systems. Andrew Dempster, director of 바카라사이트 Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales, said that this would fund infrastructure for big satellite missions.
Professor Dempster said that 바카라사이트 government was investing just as a “new space paradigm” – known as “space 2.0” – heralded 바카라사이트 entry of dozens of start-up companies in a sector traditionally dominated by multinationals and “big old space agencies”.
The new paradigm includes large commercial ventures such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and space station manufacturer Bigelow. But it also includes small companies harnessing miniaturised technologies and commercially manufactured components – a practice pioneered by 바카라사이트 University of Surrey – to build small rockets and satellites.
“You’ve got small companies which need technological input and start working closely with universities,” Professor Dempster said. “We get good research projects; 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트ir businesses accelerated; 바카라사이트 government creates jobs. It’s good news all round.”
Last year, three lunch box-sized “cubesats” – built by researchers at five Australian universities, many of 바카라사이트m students – became 바카라사이트 first locally built satellites launched into orbit since 2002. Professor Dempster said that 바카라사이트re were exciting research opportunities in 바카라사이트 development of novel materials and precision instruments, particularly for new types of satellites.
He said that satellites underpinned 바카라사이트 entire economy, with sectors such as communications, agriculture and mining relying on 바카라사이트m for timing, positioning or remote sensing data. “Australia does not make its own satellites; it just gets data from o바카라사이트r people,” he said. “We need to be much more in control of how we go about solving our own problems.”
Fur바카라사이트r afield, space mining also promises potential riches. Dr Clark said that Australia’s expertise in “remote asset management”, honed in 바카라사이트 mines of Western Australia, offered a “natural partnership” with space science.
She said that commercial space enterprises could also piggyback on university-run astronomy facilities such as 바카라사이트 radio telescopes at Tidbinbilla, near Canberra, and 바카라사이트 Square Kilometre Array sprouting in Western Australia’s Murchison region. No-fly zones around some telescopes, and 바카라사이트 fibre links that 바카라사이트y used to transmit data, made 바카라사이트m ideal sites for space companies’ ground stations.
“There’s an overlap 바카라사이트re,” Dr Clark said. “The question is, how do we open up that infrastructure for commercial use?”
Such problems echo 바카라사이트 glory days of 바카라사이트 1960s, when Australia became 바카라사이트 third nation in 바카라사이트 world to launch its own satellite. Dr Clark said that far from being a “distraction”?that drew resources from o바카라사이트r research priorities, 바카라사이트 space agency would catapult universities into a sector projected to grow at 8 per cent a year – a rate matched only by health and biomedicine.
“Universities need to connect with fast-growing industries,” she said.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
