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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-10-30 Daily Xml
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Kanyini Mission

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:48): By leave, on behalf of the member for Morphett, I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that in an Australian first, the South Australian owned and manufactured satellite Kanyini was successfully launched into space on 17 August 2024;

(b) congratulates the entire Kanyini team that worked over the last three years to ensure the successful deployment of Kanyini, including South Australian companies SmartSat CRC, Inovor Technologies and Myriota, based at Lot Fourteen;

(c) acknowledges that the former Liberal government established Lot Fourteen, located on the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, into a hub of technology space, innovation and entrepreneurship to encourage projects such as Kanyini;

(d) recognises that Lot Fourteen is host to Australia’s national Space Agency;

(e) acknowledges that the Kanyini mission is a giant leap for South Australia’s space sector and is an initiative funded by the former Liberal government;

(f) notes that Kanyini will enhance Australia’s sovereign capabilities in space by providing critical space data and help inspire South Australians to have a career in the space industry; and

(g) condemns the federal Labor government for defunding programs targeted to support Australia’s space industry, such as the $1.2 billion National Space Mission Earth Observation.

All eyes were on the SpaceX rocket mission at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the USA on the morning of 17 August. I will note that I was at Hawthorne in California just two weeks prior to the launch of the Kanyini satellite and there was quite an exciting feeling around that there was an Australian first, but it was also me understanding what the Falcon 9 rockets do as a propulsion unit to take low orbiting satellites into space.

On board amongst many other satellites being launched was the South Australian-built satellite Kanyini. As the flight controller did the classic countdown from 10 all the way down to one, no doubt everyone involved in the Kanyini project held their breath. Finally, the flight controller announced, 'Ignition. Lift off Falcon 9. Go Transporter-11,' and Kanyini's journey was launched into space.

As the Falcon 9 rocket reached low Earth orbit, it began deploying the satellites on board. Kanyini was in the first batch of satellites being released and, again, the flight controller announced matter-of-factly, 'Kanyini deploy confirmed,' heralding a successful launch of Australia's first state government-funded satellite that was developed and manufactured here in South Australia. It also marked the fruition of over 3½ years of intense work by everyone involved in the project.

South Australia has a proud history in the era of space from the late 1950s, when Weapons Research Establishment commenced the Skylark upper atmosphere sounding program at the Woomera rocket range. This included the launch in November 1967 of the Weapons Research Establishment satellite (WRESAT), making Australia one of the first nations to launch a satellite. It is fantastic that more than 50 years later South Australia is again leading the way in Australia's space industry.

The Kanyini project got underway in January 2021 when former Premier Steven Marshall announced that his Liberal government was providing $6.5 million for a groundbreaking South Australian space mission. Under a partnership with the South Australian space industry, a small satellite was to be manufactured here in South Australia and launched into a low Earth orbit. The space mission was initially known as SASAT1.

While space seems far away, it is about making our life here on Earth better. The information gathered by the satellite will help to improve state services and provide vital data for everyday South Australians, such as assisting farmers to monitor water levels and more accurately predict future crop yields, or offering emergency service personnel greater oversight to monitor, manage and even mitigate emergencies like bushfires.

The mission was also about boosting South Australia's space economy by strengthening the competitiveness of South Australian businesses in the small satellite supply chain. This will pave the way for external investment and further growth in Australia and abroad. One of the big opportunities will be from the Department of Defence and the Australian government space and defence-related projects.

At the time of the announcement, the Minister for Trade and Investment and I stated that the space mission will 'build on South Australia's strong starting position in the NewSpace economy'. We went on to say, 'We are also pleased to partner with the local space industry on a project that will drive growth, foster innovation and make us competitive on the world stage.'

The space mission was overseen by the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre, which led the mission and application prototyping. SmartSat CRC is led by Chief Executive, Professor Andy Koronios, and the Kanyini Mission Director, Peter Nikoloff, with Adelaide-based satellite manufacturing company, Inovor Technologies, designing and building the satellite, and the South Australian space company, Myriota, contracted for the Internet of Things space services.

This announcement was made at Lot Fourteen which, of course, is where the three mentioned organisations are all based, but it is also home of the Australian Space Agency. Lot Fourteen, in a short time, has become an engine room of growth for the South Australian economy based on technology, space, innovation and entrepreneurship. It is home to over 150 organisations, with over 1,500 people working there.

Where the transformation kicked off materially was in work done by the former Premier who recognised the opportunities in having an innovation district on the site, but it would need key pillars that played to the state's strengths and also the future economic opportunities in which South Australia could compete internationally and attract investment to our state. One of those opportunities was in the space industry.

Australia was one of the last OECD nations to establish a space agency and the temptation was to have it based in Canberra where it would become bureaucratic. Federal Labor wanted it in Canberra; however, the space industry is changing rapidly and being driven now by business rather than traditional governments. The minister was excited to be present at Lot Fourteen in December 2018 when Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Premier announced that the national Space Agency was going to based here in Adelaide in Lot Fourteen, and the announcement certainly excited many.

Securing the Australian Space Agency headquarters in Adelaide was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has positioned South Australia as a key player in our nation's space industry. The decision to make South Australia home of the Australian Space Agency can be largely attributed to our vibrant and entrepreneurial space ecosystem, nurtured by the former Liberal government, and maybe Andy Thomas played a role in it too.

One aspect of this is the closely aligned $6 million Mission Control Centre to be co-located with the Australian Space Agency at Lot Fourteen. The Mission Control Centre is a focal point for space missions in Australia and will serve to accelerate the growth of the critically important space sector. It provides the facilities for space startups, companies and researchers to control small satellite missions, enabling real-time control and testing, and the accelerated development of Australian satellite technology.

The centre is run by Saber Astronautics, and space companies at Lot Fourteen such as the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre, Myriota, Inovor, Neumann Space, Fleet Space Technologies, Space Machines Company, and Southern Launch. These companies cover the spectrum of the space industry through design, manufacture, testing and mission control, and allow for a project such as Kanyini to be possible here from South Australia.

Also at Lot Fourteen is the Space Discovery Centre. In conjunction with this, a further $6 million has been provided for a new Space Discovery Centre and it will provide science, technology, engineering and mathematics (commonly known at STEM) education, engagement and inspiration for our young Australians. One of the aims of the Kanyini mission was that the satellite will allow South Australian school students to view firsthand the vital information we gain from satellites right here in our very own backyard, hopefully getting our next generation excited about what a career in space could mean for them.

The Kanyini naming competition initiative was something of a first. The first step was to run a competition amongst schools to name the space mission—rather than the clinical SASAT1—and 57 primary and secondary schools from across regional and metro South Australia answered the challenge to name the SASAT1 Space Services Mission satellite. The winning name, Kanyini, was submitted by year 11 students from Findon High School's Reconciliation Action Plan group. Kanyini is a Pitjantjatjara word that describes the principle of responsibility and unconditional love for all of creation. In their submission, the students were inspired by the connection of Kanyini to how the satellite data would be used to tackle real-world problems.

The Kanyini satellite itself took 3½ years of design and building at Lot Fourteen. A six-unit cube satellite about the size of a cereal packet and weighing only 12 kilograms, Kanyini will be positioned in low orbit about 500 kilometres above the earth. One project will create heat maps of surface temperatures across Adelaide and some regional areas and analyse how this can enable better planning and responses to heatwaves. The second project will use Kanyini's hyperspectral imagery combined with AI-based analytics to monitor native vegetation cover and crop health, focusing on Kangaroo Island and the northern pastoral region.

Inovor Technologies did not just import its components; rather, they designed and built the satellite from the ground up. Inovor Technologies also created a custom satellite bus, dubbed Apogee, after years of development. The satellite platform comprises power, telemetry, pointing and mission control systems, all packaged in a lightweight structure. Built printed circuit boards demonstrate Myriota's leading work in the Internet of Things and space services.

Once built, the satellite had to undergo rigorous processes pre launch, ranging from environmental stress screening to a full system integration review. This process was a great way to build the capacity of the Australian space industry and advance the local expertise within the sector. This process is also part of establishing space flight heritage. It allows these companies to then be involved in future space defence projects.

State and federal Liberal governments each allocated $20 million towards the establishment of the Australian Space Park in Adelaide, a dedicated satellite manufacturing facility that partnered with private industry. Federal space cuts have really affected the advancement of the space industry. While the $6½ million investment into the space industry was moving at pace, building sovereign capability, the federal Labor government were taking the opposite approach by axing important space programs.

The Albanese Labor government slashed nearly $80 million in programs targeted to support Australia's space industry. The cuts included the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants. This program was aimed at helping small and medium space organisations to be part of the supply chain for NASA's plans to go to the moon and to Mars after that. The Albanese government also cancelled a $30 million program designed to support faster access to space flight by Australian companies developing new technology.

This will directly affect South Australian companies that are looking to put their satellites into space and develop space heritage. Without this space heritage, when they look to bid for some of the upcoming defence space programs they will have no proof to show that they can put satellites into space when competing against overseas companies. Also axed was $32½ million allocated to support the development of Australian spaceports. Here in South Australia, we have Southern Launch. I will continue my remarks, but I must say it is disappointing that this funding has been cut.

Time expired.

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (12:03): I welcome the motion from the member for Morphett, but I seek to amend it as follows:

That this house—

(a) recognises the significant contribution the space industry makes to our state and our economy;

(b) acknowledges that in an Australian first, the South Australian owned and manufactured satellite Kanyini was successfully launched into space on 17 August 2024;

(c) congratulates the entire Kanyini team that worked over the last three years to ensure the successful deployment of Kanyini, including South Australian companies SmartSat CRC, Inovor Technologies and Myriota, based at Lot Fourteen;

(d) acknowledges that the former Liberal government established Lot Fourteen, located on the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, into a hub of technology space, innovation and entrepreneurship to encourage projects such as Kanyini;

(e) recognises that Lot Fourteen is host to Australia's national Space Agency;

(f) acknowledges that the Kanyini mission is a giant leap for South Australia's space sector and is an initiative funded by the former Liberal government;

(g) notes that Kanyini will enhance Australia's sovereign capabilities in space by providing critical space data and help inspire South Australians to have a career in the space industry; and

(h) recognises that the South Australian government is committed to the continued development of the space ecosystem and our evolving contribution to our nation's sovereign space capability.

In moving this amendment, I want to emphasise that we are retaining the bipartisan nature of some of this motion that acknowledges that the former Liberal government established Lot Fourteen, located on the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, into a hub of technology, space innovation and entrepreneurship to encourage projects such as Kanyini, but we amend it largely to reflect the importance of the space industry generally to our state and the South Australian government's commitment to the continued development of the space ecosystem in this state.

The launch of Kanyini is a significant milestone and a pivotal step forward for South Australia's space sector, setting us up for further success on a global stage. We are all on this side of the house excited for Kanyini to unlock more opportunities for research and development of innovative, sovereign Australian space technologies. This project will also inspire talented Australians to pursue a career in the space industry as engineers and future space leaders.

The Kanyini mission is a collaboration between the SA government, the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre as mission lead, Adelaide-based commercial satellite manufacturer Inovor Technologies, and global provider Myriota. The South Australian government, through the South Australian Space Industry Centre, has contributed $6.575 million over five years, and that funding commenced in March 2021.

The South Australian owned and manufactured satellite successfully launched on 17 August 2024 onboard SpaceX Transporter-11 mission from the United States, the first state government-funded satellite in the nation. Steady communications have been established from launch day, ensuring a command and data handling process that exceeds industry standard. The next step is to officially start the commissioning of the satellite.

Once fully commissioned, Kanyini will deliver critical space data for use by government and research institutions, particularly in the areas of sustainability and climate impacts. The research initiatives to be undertaken by Kanyini include bushfire detection, with technology that can detect fires from space 500 times faster than traditional processing. The satellite will support a program led by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water and Greening Adelaide to sense urban heat islands in the state. In collaboration with the Department for Environment and Water and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA, the satellite will provide a project to pilot new approaches to land use in South Australia.

Focusing on Kangaroo Island and the northern pastoral region, Kanyini's hyperspectral imagery combined with AI-based analytics aims to deliver improved understandings of South Australian native vegetation communities and key species important for carbon sequestration. Data collected by Kanyini will also be used to develop robust and trustworthy predictive AI capabilities that can accurately predict natural disaster events such as landslides and flooding, being led by the Queensland University of Technology and the European Space Agency Phi-lab.

The launch of Kanyini, as I said, is a significant milestone and pivotal step forward for South Australia's space sector. The other part of the amendment of the motion points to the space industry generally, and the South Australian government has significant achievements so far. The South Australian government's funding and support for the space industry amounts to $33 million over four years to support and expand local space industry, helping to attract, grow and retain space companies in South Australia. It includes $6.4 million over the forward estimates to ensure the growth of the space industry, and $20 million towards a space common user facility, which will drive capability and collaboration among local space manufacturers.

This funding has focused on growing startups and SMEs developing products and services involving space technology, providing tailored support, mentoring and access to research networks and resources. Funding is also focused on building a specialised workforce through outreach, educational and inspirational activities, including continued support of the Andy Thomas Space Foundation and working with universities.

Space is an enabler of critical technologies in the national interest, and the South Australian government is committed to investing in programs that develop and grow innovative ideas and space technologies. One of these initiatives is the Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund, which is an investment-focused grant scheme intended to drive the growth of South Australia's space sector through industry ingenuity and international partnerships. The first round 2 grants of up to $100,000 have been awarded. In round 2, which opens on 30 October, one project will receive $320,000, which is a significant boost from the inaugural round.

Other South Australian government support for the space industry includes Plants for Space at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence, a project which I believe includes a former government whip from this place, who is doing excellent work at Plants for Space in Lot Fourteen.

For Paladin Space Pty Ltd, the Treasurer's grant of $100,000 pursuant to a grant deed on 6 September contributed to Paladin's development of a minimum viable prototype of a space debris removal container and testing of the physical architecture of the container in a lab demonstration. The project includes producing an algorithm to image, characterise and capture mock space debris.

The space industry, with the support of the current state government, the Malinauskas Labor government, is going ahead in leaps and bounds. The amendment to this motion reflects the fact that the space industry is an industry which we believe is important and will only grow in the future and contribute to our state and national prosperity, and importantly retains the acknowledgement that the former Liberal government set up Lot Fourteen and helped to cement in the space industry in this state. With those words, I commend the amended motion to the house.

Ms PRATT (Frome) (12:10): As is obvious, I rise to speak to this motion and in fact support and endorse the original motion as brought to this chamber by the member for Morphett. I take this initial opportunity to commend him for his own work and advocacy in bringing and maintaining attention on this very important sector, noting that the government is seeking to amend the original motion. I do not disagree with their approach to part (a), noting that this chamber:

(a) recognise the significant contribution the space industry makes to our state and our economy.

I cannot imagine anyone in this chamber does not agree with that sentiment.

In rising to support the motion brought by the member for Morphett, we acknowledge that in an Australian first the South Australian owned and manufactured satellite, Kanyini, was successfully launched into space on 17 August 2024. I note from the member for Chaffey's contribution that 'Kanyini' is in fact a First Nations word that captures the meaning of unconditional love for all creation. I think this expands our imagination to appreciate the enormity of what this satellite's capability is going to see and to be.

Kanyini was successfully launched into space on a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This satellite, which was manufactured by SmartSat CRC, Inovor Technologies and Myriota, marks South Australia's growing space capabilities. Kanyini will deliver critical space data for government and research institutions, particularly in sustainability and climate impacts. The satellite will also support a program to sense urban heat islands in the state.

The data that I imagine is going to be captured and reported back, either about those heat islands in our metro areas or data that is going to guide our knowledge about sustainable practices and climate impacts, always has that translation back to our farming sector, our primary industry sector. The innovation from space and defence and its translation to agtech is a game changer, particularly in a year like this where drought has hit farmers hard. Their comments to me were that '20 years ago we wouldn't have got anything from our paddocks, our soil, but we know so much more now'. I say that is a credit to the agtech and advancements in farming practice.

Data is going to be collected and used to develop predictive AI capabilities for natural disaster events. The launch of Kanyini is seen as a pivotal step forward for South Australia's space sector, paving the way for further success on a global stage. The success of the mission is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the Kanyini team and the South Australian governments.

On 20 March this year I was very fortunate to attend the 2024 Australian Rover Challenge that took place out at Roseworthy campus in my electorate of Frome. I also had the honour of participating on that day in the opening of the EXTERRES Analogue Facility at the Roseworthy campus.

The University of Adelaide and the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources hosted the 2024 Australian Rover Challenge and, as I said, we saw the launch of the EXTERRES facility. This very popular annual robotics competition, the Mars rover challenge, led by the ATCSR, involved 14 teams and over 400 students from Australia, India, Poland, Bangladesh and Turkey. The event celebrated the university's 150th anniversary and aimed to foster the next generation in space leaders. University students from across the globe that day battled it out in a full-scale lunar mission, using semi-autonomous rovers that they designed and built themselves.

EXTERRES, as a site, is landscaped to simulate the undulating, crater-marked and rocky outcrop surface of the moon and Mars, and it includes three zones:

a simulated surface for rover activities and testing of remote sensing technologies;

a designated site prep area for foundational infrastructure activities; and

a construction area for post-prep activities, such as building landing pads, roads, structures and other key infrastructure.

On the day, I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr Catherine Grace from Defence SA, Dara Williams from the Australian Space Agency, and Dr Amelia Grieg from Blue Origin. I also had the special pleasure of speaking and meeting with Associate Professor John Culton, who is the Director of the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources. What was involved was a walk-through of the facility, both indoor and out. To paint a picture: imagine the university students moving their Mars rover vehicles around and, internally, a multilevel facility that is more of a lab.

By launching EXTERRES—this 4,000 square metre purpose-built facility, complete with a mission control and a rover workshop—it is clear that this multipurpose lab will provide both researchers and industry, across a range of sectors, including space, defence and aquaculture, with a site to conduct activities such as the testing and evaluation of full-scale remote and autonomous technologies.

By now, this chamber, and hopefully South Australians, will be very familiar with the name of Katherine Bennell-Pegg. She is an astronaut and the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency. Most excitingly for anyone tracking her progress and her stellar career (literally), this year she became the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag and also the first female Australian astronaut. She is to be commended for those efforts. She is the future of space exploration for our nation and an important figure for young Australians who aspire to work across the breadth of the space sector.

Ongoing investment in the space sector cannot be overstated for sovereign capabilities to deliver authentic, trusted data that, if for no other reason, can support our capacity—our state's capacity—to farm, to improve yield and therefore to feed ourselves. It is essential that we take seriously the advances being made in innovation and entrepreneurship to encourage projects such as Kanyini.

The Kanyini Mission is a giant leap for South Australia's space sector, and it is an initiative funded by the former Liberal government. I commend the motion.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:18): In conclusion, I want to thank the speakers who have contributed to this very important motion, because it really does highlight where space and low-orbiting satellites will play a role. I think Kanyini's launch signifies a pivotal moment for the South Australian space sector.

Congratulations must go to everyone involved in the entire Kanyini team, which worked over the last three years to ensure the successful deployment of Kanyini: the Kanyini Mission Director from SmartSat Collaborative Research Centre, Peter Nikoloff; South Australian company SmartSat CRC, led by Andy Koronios; Inovor Technologies, led by Matt Tetlow; and Myriota, led by Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Mr David Haley. Congratulations go also to Nicola Sasanelli and SASIC: they are able to spell out the vision for what a state-designed, state-manufactured and state-funded satellite could provide to South Australia.

Congratulations to former Premier Steven Marshall on backing in this vision and providing the initial $6.5 million of funding for Kanyini. Kanyini has successfully built the capability of the Australian space industry and advanced local expertise within the sector. The low-orbiting satellite industry will change the world as we see it today. Watch this space.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

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