Space Sciences

The ANU is ranked 21st in the world for the quality of its space science research. Additionally, the ANU's Research School of Astrophysics and Astronomy is home to six of Australia's top 32 scientists as listed by the Institute for Scientific Information. The ANU also has Australia's largest grouping of astronomers and Australia's most comprehensive undergraduate and graduate courses in astronomy. ANU students have been awarded five of Australia's nine Hubble Fellowships.

ANU astronomers have also led 12 of Australia's last 20 approved Gemini Observatory projects. These proposals included the construction of the Gemini Near-Infrared Integral-Field Spectrograph (NIFS) and the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI). The AUD$5million NIFS project is being conducted in partnership with Canberra -based space engineering company, Auspace Ltd. The AUD$6.3million GSAOI project, which will build a special camera for the Gemini South Telescope in Chile, was won by the ANU in an international competitive tender.

Canberra is also home to NASA's Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla, which is managed by the CSIRO and Raytheon. The complex employs around 160 staff and is responsible for supporting interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the Solar System and the Universe.

There is a significant global market for improved satellite technologies. Given the massive costs related to many satellite launches, there is a need for adaptable technology that allows modification to satellites, and particularly after their launch. Canberra is well placed to capture further export revenue from this market, including sensor technology development, satellite component design and manufacture, guidance and communications systems, and technologies and techniques for satellite control including ground station design and operation.

For example, Canberra Region based company, Electro Optic Systems (EOS), is a global provider of large scale space tracking and free-space optical communications infrastructure as a prime contractor or systems integrator. EOS specialises in the design, development and production of sophisticated laser technologies, including supporting software and electronic sub systems. Advanced technologies developed by the company are being applied to a variety of sighting and surveillance applications in the aerospace and defence markets. In particular, EOS has developed advanced laser-based technologies for finding and tracking satellites and for defence surveillance and targeting.

The knowledge base across Canberra's space sciences industry includes areas such as spectrograph and telescope design, design of standard coloured glass filters for astronomical use, software design and implementation for major instruments and major astronomical applications. There are also skills in areas such as:

• controlling low noise CCD and IR area detectors;
• design of surface mount multi-layer circuit boards;
• cryogenic applications;
• optical design and evaluation;
• spherical optics;
• aspherics;
• the production of a large range of materials (including optical glasses, fused silica, crystals, semiconductors and metals); and
• the manufacture of standard coloured glass filters for astronomical use and aluminium coatings.

• ACT Government Strategy for the Space Sector (   467Kb )