The ARC Training Centre for Space Domain Awareness has been awarded $5 million over five years to support Australia's ability to manage satellites, space traffic and space hazards, which has benefits for national security, commercial activity and critical services.
The Centre received funding through the Australian Research Council's Industrial Transformation Research Program that will be complemented by significant cash and in-kind contributions from participating universities and partner organisations.
Led by Centre Director Associate Professor David Coward, it brings together three university nodes — UWA, UNSW Canberra and the University of Tasmania — and 22 partner organisations, connecting researchers with industry, government and international expertise.
Associate Professor Coward, from the International Space Centre at The University of Western Australia, said understanding what is happening in space was increasingly important to life on Earth.
"Knowing where an object is, how it is moving and what it might do next is essential to operating safely in space," Associate Professor Coward said.
"This Centre will bring together expertise in sensing, data analysis and hazard assessment to give operators a clearer picture of the space environment and help them make timely, informed decisions."
The Centre's research will combine information from different sensing technologies, develop tools for rapidly assessing hazards, and investigate the human and regulatory factors that support safe and responsible space operations.
Its training program will connect postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers with industry through collaborative research and practical experience, helping turn research advances into technologies and skills that Australian organisations can use.
"We need people who can take a complex space problem, work across disciplines and develop a solution that works in practice," Associate Professor Coward said.
"By training researchers alongside industry, we will build both the technology, and the workforce Australia needs to strengthen its own space capabilities."
Professor Danail Obreschkow, Director of UWA's International Space Centre and UWA Node Leader of the Training Centre, said the award would strengthen connections across Australia's space sector.
"This Training Centre is a major step towards building a more connected Australian space sector," Professor Obreschkow said.
"It brings together universities, industry, government and international partners around a capability that is becoming increasingly important as space becomes more crowded and complex.
"For UWA and the International Space Centre, this is exactly the kind of national partnership with global impact we want to build.
"The Centre will train the next generation of space specialists in an environment where research, industry needs and real-world operations come together."
The collaboration includes Australian space technology companies and international research organisations, linking Australian researchers and graduates with expertise and opportunities across the global space sector.
