Space Inquiry heard from Australia's first astronaut

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST ASTRONAUT, Paul Scully-Power, appeared before the House Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources for its Inquiry into Developing Australia’s Space Industry  in Sydney today.

Dr Scully-Power shared  his experiences and insights into what he describes as the ‘next world revolution’.

The chair of the committee, Barnaby Joyce MP said, "The Committee is very excited to be hearing from Dr Scully-Power and his ideas around ‘new space’, new technologies, and new opportunities for people to be involved in the space industry. Space related technologies were once considered those of the future – robots, drones, remote sensors, and artificial intelligence – but are very much where we are now.  

"For Australia to be competitive, we need to not only foster these technologies and their applications but ensure we have people with the right skills and expertise to make it happen." Mr Joyce said.

Other witnesses appearing in Sydney included Saber Astronautics, Solar Space Technologies, Moonshot, and the Space Industry Association of Australia.

The Committee will also hold a hearing in Armidale tomorrow.

Mr Joyce said, "There is so much potential for our rural and regional areas to benefit from and get involved in Australia’s space sector. This includes the links between our regional industries and the space sector, the application of space related technology and infrastructure to agriculture, health and telecommunications; and of course the uptake of regional education and training to better equip young people to build careers in this industry."

The committee will conduct a site visit of the University of New England’s SMART Farm Innovation Centre to see how satellites, sensors and software are being used in agriculture and farm management.

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