Queensland is hoping to boost its $760 million space industry with a new rocket launch site in the Whitsunday region.
The Abbot Point orbital rocket launch site has been identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the state government based on a range of technical, operational, environmental and infrastructure-related considerations.
The area near Bowen is currently known for Australia’s most northern coal export port used by Adani and the end point of the Carmichael Rail Network.
The Queensland government has been eager to tap into the space industry after announcing an $8 million strategy earlier this year.
The strategy included satellite ground stations in the outback and sites along the coastline for launch along with multiple locations for observation, space enabled services, robotics and automation.
Queensland’s space industry plans to have the rocket launch site based in Abbots Point. Image: North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp
Companies such as Gilmour Space Technologies, Black Sky Aerospace, Hypersonix and Valiant Space already operate in state and the global space industry is expected to grow to US$42.8 billion by 2028.
A Deloitte Access Economics report found that a launch site and space-related infrastructure would be catalytic for the space industry, providing more research, development and market opportunities.
Originally published by Renee McKeown in The Urban Developer HERE.
