The Australian Space Agency has officially opened its headquarters in the centre of Adelaide today, reaching an exciting milestone in its mission to grow the economy and create new jobs.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Space Agency had made outstanding progress since being established by the Coalition in July 2018 and was now ready to settle into its permanent home in the heart of the Lot Fourteen precinct in Adelaide.
"The Australian Space Agency is central to my Government's vision to secure more jobs and a larger share of the growing space economy - forecast to be over $1 trillion in size around the globe by 2040," the Prime Minister said.
"Space captures the imagination and inspires us all. It develops new technologies that improve life on Earth and it offers huge economic and job opportunities.
"That's why we're investing almost $700 million into the space sector, including $150 million into Australian businesses so they can pick up more work and support more jobs by partnering with NASA's Moon to Mars initiative."
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said South Australia was now at the forefront of the nation's space endeavours.
"We are now, without a doubt, the space capital of the nation," said the Premier.
"Young people from across the state have the opportunity to seize incredible jobs across the sector, right here in South Australia.
"We've secured the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency, SmartSat CRC, Mission Control and the Space Discovery Centre.
"There's an ambition to triple the size of Australia's space economy by 2030, and Adelaide is going to be right at the heart of this monumental project.
"Young South Australians can look up at the stars and genuinely find opportunities right here in this state to pursue their dreams."
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the opening was another chance to highlight the great opportunities space presents to everyday Australians.
"Australia's space sector has gone from strength to strength since we established the Agency and I'm confident we will continue to build on that momentum," Minister Andrews said.
"Space is inspirational but it's also big business. The Morrison Government is investing heavily in providing opportunity to Australians. We've set the goal of tripling the size of the sector in Australia to $12 billion and adding an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030.
"But beyond that space will create opportunities for core industries -- from manufacturing to mining -- to tap into new supply chains."
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Dr Megan Clark AC said our national headquarters is a strong base for the Agency to grow and transform the Australian space industry.
"We're delighted to have a new home in the centre of Adelaide, and we look forward to developing the Australian Space Discovery Centre and Mission Control, which will open next year," said Dr Clark.
"I want to thank our team for all the hard work to establish our new facility, on time, and on budget."
Lot Fourteen also houses other space industry participants including the SmartSat CRC and CSIRO.
