It comes after the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA) — the defence equivalent of CASA — and the Australian Space Agency (ASA) signed a memorandum of understanding at Avalon.
DASA director general, Air Commodore Joe Medved, said, “This MOU demonstrates our commitment to improved space safety outcomes through harmonised regulatory regimes and risk-based approaches to safety, as well as the sharing of knowledge, information, and safety data.
“We look forward to working with the ASA on the development of an exemplar space safety regulatory capability matched to Australia’s needs.”
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Christopher De Luis, who oversees regulatory obligations for the ASA, said the growing national space sector presented an excellent opportunity for alignment in the regulation of civil and military Australian space activities.
“This MOU aims to ensure aligned pathways for Australian regulatory applicants to engage in both civil and Defence-focused space activities, avoiding duplication and also providing opportunities to jointly grow Australian space regulatory capability,” he said.
Countries are currently working out how to manage safety in space across both civilian and defence applications.
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, for example, now also operates as its official Space Accident Investigation Authority.
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It’s already been appointed to work with the FAA to investigate January’s Virgin Orbit failure.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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