Airbus Defence and Space, together with Defence SA, has announced it will open a new office at the Defence and Space Landing Pad at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, South Australia.
The new office will be Airbus’ first Australian office dedicated to Space and will be home to the Resilient Multi-Mission (RMS) STaR Shot programme and missions — a strategic research program established to develop future Space capabilities for the ADF.
In July 2022, Airbus was selected as the strategic partner to fast-track the development of satellite technologies under the RMS program to ensure the ADF is equipped with ongoing access to resilient and trusted communication, intelligence, and surveillance services.
The company said that a permanent presence in South Australia will enable it to engage in 'collaborative discussions with its partners' as well as provide a 'focal point for wider engagement with the Australian industry' as the program looks to demonstrate and experiment with locally manufactured payloads.
“South Australia’s diverse and vibrant industrial ecosystem makes it a natural choice for us to establish our Space centre. We look forward to working closely with the innovative start-ups and scale-ups in South Australia to help further build a sustainable sovereign Australian Space sector," Richard Franklin, Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space UK said.
“The expansion of Airbus into South Australia is a major boost to the state’s Space capability and a testament to the collaborative, supportive and innovative environment building at Lot Fourteen," Susan Close, Deputy Premier of South Australia and Minister for Defence and Space Industries said. "South Australia’s space industry is on an exciting trajectory and I’m proud to welcome Airbus and the opportunities they will bring to advance our mission to build a thriving and enduring Space ecosystem."
“The Defence and Space Landing Pad is a one-stop-shop that supports the relocation of international companies to South Australia. It’s great to see another global defence and space leader such as Airbus recognise the value of growing their footprint in South Australia and we look forward to supporting their business journey," Richard Price, Defence SA Chief Executive said.
The announcement comes shortly after Airbus announced its commitment to the Australian Space Park in Adelaide, where it will help build the first-ever dedicated satellite assembly and integration manufacturing facility.
The new office will officially open to staff and visitors in September 2022.