{"id":76897,"date":"2022-12-02T15:17:42","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T04:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=76897"},"modified":"2022-12-02T15:45:11","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T04:45:11","slug":"australia-the-pot-of-gold-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow-in-new-space-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australia-the-pot-of-gold-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow-in-new-space-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia the \u2018pot of gold at the end of the rainbow\u2019 in new space race"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of America\u2019s top space officials says Australia is \u2018prime country\u2019 as the strategic competition for space heats up.<\/p>\n

In Australia for a range of talks, including a dialogue held by ASPI, US Space Force director of staff Lieutenant-General Nina Armagno said that Australia\u2019s strategic geography was a great asset when it comes to the sites needed for global space domain awareness and that northern Australia\u2019s proximity to the equator could also allow for efficient launches into orbit.<\/p>\n

\u2018Australia is sitting on a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for our common national security interests,\u2019 she told a briefing to media alongside US Space Command\u2019s Lieutenant-General John E. Shaw.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is prime country for space domain awareness,\u2019 she said, referring to the logging and tracking of objects orbiting the earth, ranging from small pieces of potentially dangerous debris to vital satellites.<\/p>\n

Shaw added that space domain awareness was the biggest immediate challenge facing the US and its allies in space\u2014and one where Australia\u2019s contribution is vital.<\/p>\n

\u2018That, frankly, is our number one challenge at US Space Command \u2026 You have to understand what\u2019s happening in the domain first, then you can take actions to protect and defend and optimise capabilities,\u2019 Shaw said.<\/p>\n

Key to achieving that awareness is having as broad a network of sensors as possible around the globe, which is where Australia comes in.<\/p>\n

\u2018[Space] doesn\u2019t really play favourites between the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere, so if you want to understand what\u2019s going on in space, you want to have sensors in as diverse locations as possible on the planet.\u2019<\/p>\n

Two major parts of a shared US\u2013Australia space capability centred on surveillance and tracking of objects in space are now up and running near Exmouth in Western Australia. One is a C-band radar<\/a> that was based in Antigua and has been relocated to WA, and the other is the Space Surveillance Telescope, originally developed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The telescope is run as a joint facility and recently achieved<\/a> its initial operating capability.<\/p>\n

Both Armagno and Shaw emphasised that while Australia and the US have been working together on space since the Apollo program of the 1960s and more recent projects have roots going back years, there\u2019s enormous scope for expanding the relationship to new areas.<\/p>\n

\u2018Military to military is the partnership has been going on for decades. I think there\u2019s tons of opportunity to partner commercially as well \u2026 The environment is ripe for investment in the space economy,\u2019 Armagno said.<\/p>\n

The space force general expanded on her comments in a podcast interview with ASPI\u2019s Bec Shrimpton, saying Australia is a \u2018burgeoning spacefaring nation, and there is tons of talent here and capability \u2026 There\u2019s almost no limit to what we can do.\u2019<\/p>\n