Industry backs choice of Megan Clark as founding CEO of Australian Space Agency  

Australia’s space and satellite sectors have warmly welcomed the decision of the Feder-al Government to appoint Megan Clark as the interim CEO of the new Australian Space Agency for a one year term. Clark, a former CSIRO CEO, was the head of the government’s expert reference group into Australia’s space capability, which reported earlier this year.

The government announced not only Clark’s appointment this week but that it supported all nine recommendations of her group’s final report. Communications Alliance, which convenes a working group covering the communications satellite sector, said she was the right person for the job.

“I think Megan’s status, expertise and personal networks in the global scientific arena will be valuable assets for the fledgling Agency,” CEO John Stanton told Space&Satellite AU. “Megan is well equipped to drive the heavy-lifting that needs to happen during the Agency’s first year – establishing linkages in Australia and globally and setting the priorities and work program.”

Small satellite specialist, Steven Pietrobon of Small World Communications, concurred, telling Space&Satellite AU, “She's a good person for the job, as she's now up to speed with space in Australia. The advantage of not advertising now is that she can get started on creating the space agency right away, instead of having to wait several months before a leadership position can be filled. My understanding is that she will be there for only one year, at which time the position can be advertised and a suitable candidate found.”

Senior Lecturer, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications at UNSW, Elias Aboutanios, said the one year term set by the government showed that Clark’s job was primarily to get the agency up and running.

“Given that Megan headed the industry review and chaired the panel that was tasked with advising on the remit of the Agency, she is well-placed to fulfil this initial role. She “understands” what the government has in mind.” In announcing the appointment, Jobs & Innovation Minister Michaelia Cash said “Dr Clark is a former head of CSIRO, a pre-eminent member of the science community and universally respected by industry and academia.”

WHICH STATE? There was also reaction to the news that the agency would be initially housed in Canberra within the Department of Industry, with at least three states – NSW, South Australia and Western Australia: putting their hands up. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “Australia’s space agency should be hosted by Australia's technology capital... NSW has The Dish and we should be the home of space innovation.”

Comms Alliance CEO John Stanton said the suggested locations had their merits. “I think the agency could operate effectively from any of the locations. Sydney looks like the strongest location from a communications satellite point of view. South Australia has done a good job of mobilising research, academic and State Government passion in the sector. ACT also has a strong relevant science and research base and is dipping a toe in the cube-sat pond,” Stanton said.

Dr Andrew Dempster, who heads the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research at UNSW said, “A contest between states is unproductive. The HQ should be in Canberra, but there should be nodes where the action is, and every state is making exciting contributions. The various locations should take advantage of their local expertise. For example, national headquarters in ACT, communications and cubesats in SA, cubesats in NSW, launch sites in NT, etc.”

Small World’s Steven Pietrobon agreed, telling Space & Satellite AU that “The headquarters should be in ACT with technical facilities in SA and NSW, as these are the states now doing most of the work in space. The various locations should take advantage of their local expertise. For example, national headquarters in ACT, communications and cubesats in SA, cubesats in NSW, launch sites in NT, etc.”

SUFFICIENT FUNDING? As to whether the budget allocated for the first four years of the agency was sufficient, opinions were stronger.

Comms Alliance’s John Stanton said “Successive Australian governments have somewhat ignored the opportunities that the space sector offers our nation; so by comparison the government’s response to this review is a big step forward. As always, the proof will be in the execution – how well the government supports the agency, executes on regulatory easing and facilitates skills transfer projects and international partnership agreements.”

Small World’s Steve Pietrobon said: “The funding amounts for the space agency are too low in my opinion. $5.7m in the first year building up to $13.7m in four years is peanuts for a country as rich as Australia. The first year of funding is only 0.0012% of the national budget. Countries like Japan and Canada spend 0.1% of their budget on space. This could lead to the space agency being too easily defunded, like what happened to the Australian Space Office in the 1990s. Frankly, the amount provided is an embarrassment.”

UNSW’s Elias Aboutanios said “This first, formative year, of the Agency is crucial. It should take the lead in engaging Australia with the world—look at the UKSA for instance. Minister Cash mentioned “going overseas and entering into agreements”. This is a bit vague, but hopefully it means actively engaging with other agencies like ESA and NASA. There is also the legislative reform to complete.”

“Finally, the long-term government policy and strategic direction are extremely important. Australia is fundamentally dependent on space perhaps more than any other country,” he added.

“This is due to its size, relatively small and sparse population, and geographical context. For all the commercialisation of space and the focus on Australia’s space industry, the role of government remains crucial in this area. We have seen the government commit $250M to positioning and SBAS. We hope strategic investments like this continue because the potential returns for Australia can be quite significant.” Grahame Lynch, Publisher, Commsday