In this episode of the Space Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Dr Jason Held, chief executive officer of Saber Astronautics and a former US Army Major with experience across the US Space Command and the Space and Missile Defense Command Battle Lab.

The pair discuss the evolution of Australia’s space industry, the priorities outlined in the government’s new Statement on Space and the need for Australia to move beyond simply importing overseas technology towards developing and commercialising sovereign space capability.

The podcast conversation includes the following topics:

• The government’s new Statement on Space, including its focus on trusted space systems, space monitoring, Earth observation, space flight, microgravity and exploration technologies.
• The dual-use nature of space technology and the growing overlap between civil, commercial and military space capabilities.
• The importance of maintaining flexibility within Australia’s space strategy so emerging technologies and new companies are not overlooked in favour of only established industry priorities.
• The challenge of developing sovereign space capability while Australia continues to rely heavily on imported technology and overseas companies.
• The importance of government acting as a customer for Australian space companies rather than simply providing grants and funding to support early-stage innovation.
• The role of procurement and tendering processes in creating barriers for Australian space companies seeking to sell technology to government and Defence.
• The contrasting approaches to space acquisition in Australia and the United States, including the opportunities created by US Space Force’s willingness to engage with innovative commercial companies.
• The role of the Australian Space Agency in developing the domestic industry, supporting start-ups and creating opportunities for Australian space companies.

Finally, the discussion wraps up with Held reflecting on Australia’s opportunity to build a genuinely sovereign and commercially competitive space sector, arguing that the key measure of success should be the number of new companies, products and capabilities Australia can develop rather than simply how much funding is committed to the industry.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Space Connect team

* Dougherty and Held discuss the origins of Saber Astronautics and play a competitive match of the card game Swordplay throughout the podcast interview.

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