Grant applications are now open for the establishment of two control centres that will support the space industry in South Australia and Western Australia.
The Mission Control grant opportunity will award a single grant of $6 million to establish the Mission Control Centre at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide. This centre will allow start-ups, small to medium enterprises, and researchers to control satellite missions and access space-enabled data.
The Robotics, Automation and AI Command and Control Centre grant opportunity will award a single grant of $4.5 million to establish the Robotics, Automation and AI Command and Control Centre in Western Australia. This centre will allow start-ups, small to medium enterprises, and researchers to control autonomous operations in space.
The funds come out of the federal government’s $19.5 million Space Infrastructure Fund (SIF), which is to target seven infrastructure projects for common-user platforms that industry cannot provide alone.
Applications for the Mission Control Centre and the Robotics, Automation and AI Command and Control Centre grants will close on 4 February 2020.