Space Infrastructure and Services
Australia’s Northern Territory is ideally placed to host key infrastructure and services for the global space industry, with competitive advantages in:
- launch services of space vehicles to all orbits
- ground stations
- the launch and recovery of high-altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) vehicles.
The Northern Territory’s geographic location and climatic conditions provides significant advantages for launch, ground stations and HAPS including:
- southern hemisphere location and proximity to Asia
- proximity to the equator (creating cost efficiencies for launch operators and their customers)
- clear skies for much of the year, with low light pollution and limited noise interference
- ideal wind conditions for stratospheric balloon launch.
With established logistics and construction industries, the Northern Territory is capable of supporting the development of space infrastructure projects, including in remote locations.
A number of major space organisations have recognised the Northern Territory’s competitive advantages, including:
- NASA launching a sounding rocket campaign from the Arnhem Space Centre in June / July 2022, its first from a commercial spaceport outside the US.
- The HAPS Alliance acknowledging that the Northern Territory’s conducive weather conditions and close proximity to key markets as strategic advantages for HAPS operators.
- NASA, JAXA and CNES launching scientific high altitude balloon campaigns from the Alice Springs Ballooning Facility since the 1970s.
- Geoscience Australia housing their ground station, that forms part of the Landsat Network, in Alice Springs.
- Viasat constructed two commercial ground stations in Alice Springs to expand its Real-Time Earth Network.
- ArianeGroup installed an optical telescope in Alice Springs to extend its GeoTracker space situation awareness network.
- OneWeb has established its NT gateway site, consisting of 14 antenna, just outside of Darwin.
- Investment Type: Greenfield
- Status: Various
- Region: Northern Territory, Australia
- Project Value: Varied
Download the space infrastructure and services investment flyer PDF (189.7 KB).