Page 49 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2020

APRIL 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SPACE GOVERNMENT 49
Launch Australia’s (ELA) site in Arnhem Land will launch four NASA sounding rockets. ELA CEO Carley Scott has previously highlighted the advantages of the Nhulunbuy site to ADM, including a deep-water port, an airport, roads and a fibre optic connection.
Plans revealed by the Territory government identify an opportunity to collaborate with the ACT and SA under a Memorandum of Understanding on space economies. The plan is light on numbers, but the number one priority for 2020 is to support ELA’s plans for Nhulunbuy.
KIWI COMPETITION
For all these efforts, however, two news stories emerged within hours of each other on 30 January that seemed to forecast headwinds for Australia’s space economy.
The first was of the Australian government’s decision to partially cost-recover launch permits. Gilmour Space founder Adam Gilmour told ADM that the proposed model is ‘better than expected’ but still falls short of the zero-fee structures used elsewhere, including the US.
The second was the news that the US National Recon- naissance Office (NRO), the agency responsible for ac- quiring and sustaining American intelligence satellites, had done exactly that. The NRO will launch a dedicated mission from RocketLab’s launch site on NZ’s North Is-
land – the world’s first and only private orbital launch site. It was able to do so because of the Technology Safeguards Agreement, which allows ITAR-protected US space-related
technology to be used in NZ.
“The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs) is
a US regulatory regime which restricts the possession, use, and export of space technology – like rockets, the technol- ogy they’re integrated with, and the systems, processes, and information that supports rocket launches,” RocketLab’s Di- rector of Global Commercial Launch Services Sandy Tirtey explained to ADM. “Rocket Lab is bound by this law, and for almost 40 years, the US had a policy of denying orbital launch capability to any nation that did not already possess it.
“To enable Rocket Lab to gain the necessary licenses and allow rocket launches, the NZ Government entered into the TSA, which enables the use and secure management of sensitive US space launch and satellite technology in NZ.”
NZ is evidently on the front foot – the country has launched 42 satellites in the last two years, compared to Australia’s two to date.
“The NZ Government’s combination of a modern regulatory regime that safeguards launches from NZ with a drive for the economic, social, and environmental benefits inherent in the access of space to be realised for its population has been key to the success of country’s space economy,” Tirtey said. ■
THE
VIVIAN BULLWINKEL
PROJECT
A Great Australian; A Great Leader; A Great Woman and a Proud Nurse
Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel AO, MBE, ARRC, ED, FNM (a volunteer nurse with the Australian Army) was the sole survivor of the 1942 Banka Island massacre. After being shot, Vivian feigned death and survived, only to be taken prisoner for the remainder of World War II.
Retiring from the Army in 1947, Vivian continued to serve the Australian Community as a Director of Nursing and as a member of various committees including the Council of the Australian War Memorial and later as President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia. In addition to her commitment to nursing, she devoted herself to honouring those killed on Banka Island.
It is appropriate that we recognise the life of Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel with a commemorative sculpture in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial.
The Australian War Memorial has agreed (in principle) to locating a sculpture in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial and the Australian College of Nursing has committed to contributing to a fund to support this worthwhile project. Whilst this is a great start, we are seeking assistance to make this happen.
Will you join us in
making this vision
a reality?
Please donate at
acn.edu.au/bullwinkelproject
For general enquiries, please email Trevor Capps, Director of Philanthropy: trevor.capps@acn.edu.au
02.03.20
#BullwinkelProject 1800 061 660 www.acn.edu.au