The agreement, finalised at Avalon, aims to encourage more collaboration between the agency and the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA).
Air Commodore James Badgery, DASA’s director general, said, “While there may necessarily be some unique elements to Defence’s space safety regulations, our intention is to align with Australian Space Agency’s regulations as far as possible to ensure all Australian space activities meet our international treaty obligations.
“It is an exciting time in both the Defence and the civil space domains.
“A strong relationship with Australian Space Agency is vital this year while Defence Aviation Safety Authority is writing and releasing Defence’s space regulations.
“Australian Space Agency has well established partnerships with space safety leaders across the globe, plus Australian Space Agency has issued many Australian space instruments. By working closely with Australian Space Agency, Defence will be benefit from that knowledge and experience.”
The agreement comes after the federal government has made several changes to its launch regulations over the last year.
Last month, for example, it amended the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018 to better consider the high likelihood of a rocket failure.
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The changes effectively mean that if no property is destroyed, a longer investigation can now be avoided in the event of an explosion.
That alteration came after a similar change that allowed more US rockets to blast off from Australian spaceports, known as the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA).
Australia is currently home to four spaceports: Equatorial Launch Australia’s Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory, Gilmour Space Technologies’ Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland and Southern Launch’s orbital Whalers Way facility and suborbital Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.
A fifth, by Space Centre Australia, is planned for far north Queensland, while ELA also hopes to move its spaceport to a similar location.
The alterations come as Gilmour plans to launch its first rocket, Eris, for the first time next month.
Developed over eight years, the rocket is the first to be almost entirely Australian-designed and manufactured.
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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