The Australian Space Agency (ASA) has signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation with Australian space start-up Myriota to enhance the capabilities of Australia’s space industry.
Deputy Head of the Australian Space Agency Anthony Murfett welcomed the statement and its contribution to the transformation of Australia’s space sector.
“This statement embodies the transformation we are witnessing in the space industry both here in Australia and around the world – it demonstrates that businesses of all sizes can make a significant contribution to Australia’s space industry,” Murfett said.
“The Australian Space Agency’s goal is to triple the size of the Australian space sector from $3.9 billion to $12 billion, and create 20,000 new jobs by 2030. This statement highlights how companies are contributing to the growth of the sector and how space technologies can help other areas of the economy.
“Myriota is a global leader in nanosatellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, and their use of nanosatellite technology is used to solve issues affecting everyday Australians, including water and agricultural management in regional Australia.
“Combined with their commitment to education and diversity in Australia’s growing space sector, Myriota closely aligns with the vision outlined in Australia’s Civil Space Strategy.”
Myriota is an Australian company specialising in the provision of IoT data connectivity via low Earth orbit satellite, that aims to enable Australian and global industries to obtain the sensor and location data they need to digitally transform their businesses.
“It’s the long battery life and small size of our solution, and its ability to communicate directly with a satellite even under those constraints, that make it very attractive for [military] applications,” Myriota CTO David Haley told ADM last year.
“The establishment of the Australian Space Agency comes at a time when nanosatellites and IoT are helping to solve major issues that have long plagued Australian businesses, such as manual water monitoring in regional Australia,” Myriota CEO Dr Alex Grant said.
“We’ve outlined our growth plans which include adding 25 satellites to our constellation and expanding our team to 50 people by 2022 in order to support the delivery of these solutions.”
“We’re passionate about fostering a diverse STEM workforce. Our strategy has a particular focus on developing initiatives that profile the achievements of female tech leaders, while investing in Women in STEM programs to creating a thriving female workforce,” Grant continued.