A new training centre will contribute in the boosting of capacity and capabilities in the Australian space industry.
According to a recent press release, CUAVA, which is led by the University of Sydney, is working to train the next generation of workers in commercial space, solve vital research problems and develop a world-class Australian space industry.
CubeSats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and their Applications
The ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and their Applications (CUAVA) is now officially opened by Senator for NSW, Arthur Sinodinos AO.
As shared by the Senator, this new training centre puts Australia on the world map for advanced manufacturing in the space industries.
The international collaboration between leading universities, government and industry will fundamentally change the capabilities and applications of CubeSats.
This will make the international satellite market more accessible and economical than ever before. The training centre will help to grow Australia’s participation and its burgeoning space industry.
Improvements in these areas will mean great advancements in existing satellite systems used for earth and weather observations, high-speed communication and GPS.
These devices have major commercial value for the Australian economy.
Who are involved?
The Morrison Government is providing AU$ 4.6 million to support the training centre to skill-up the next generation of workers in cutting edge advanced manufacturing in the commercial space and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industries.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the new centre would boost Australia’s space communications and capability.
University of Sydney Professor of Space Physics and Director of CUAVA, Iver Cairns shared that they are thrilled to be working with 11 partners, including three industry partners, four government labs, and three Australian universities and two American universities.
They have five PhD students and four Postdoctoral fellows engaged and making exciting progress on the research and commercialisation projects.
Initial projects
Within the next year, they will be launching their first satellite and new instruments into orbit, and will be performing their first Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) campaign.
‘CUAVA-1’ is the first satellite being developed by CUAVA, with the purpose of certifying advanced communication, remote sensing, GPS, and space environment instruments in order to provide their data to users on Earth.
The Australian Research Council (ARC)’s Chief Executive Officer, Professor Sue Thomas said that the council was proud to support the training centre as it would be sure to boost capacity and capabilities in the Australian space industry.
The applications of Cubesats and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles will have great importance to the Australian economy.
Having these will improve satellite communications and observations, and making space more accessible than ever before.
