Space is a global industry and relies on strong international partnerships
The Australian Space Agency is the gateway for the global space sector to engage with Australia across a wide range of space programs and activities.
We have strong and enduring partnerships that are built on generating mutually beneficial outcomes to help achieve our space ambitions and see our respective space sectors thrive.
On this page:
Our partnerships
Our space partnerships are supported by initiatives and programs related to space exploration, science, commercial collaborations, and trade and investment opportunities. Through the Agency, we also negotiate treaty-level agreements and broker deals with other space nations.
United States
Australia's long-standing partnership with the US sees us play host to the largest number of NASA tracking stations outside the United States including the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, managed and operated by CSIRO on behalf of NASA. CSIRO's Murriyang (Parkes) Radio Telescope also brought the Apollo 11 Moon landing to the world. Today, we back our national space sector to develop capabilities to support NASA's space exploration programs such as Artemis.
Highlights
Highlights
- Ongoing support for NASA's space exploration programs through space tracking expertise that has contributed to NASA's historic Apollo program through to the Artemis I launch in 2022.
- Australia became a founding signatory to the Artemis Accords in October 2020.
- Our Moon to Mars initiative is producing cutting edge Australian technologies to support NASA's Artemis program. The initiative includes the Trailblazer program, which is backing industry to develop an Australian-made, semi-autonomous rover to the Moon.
- Formalised the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) to allow US space technology to be launched from Australia.
India
India is one of our enduring partners, with space cooperation a key component that covers mutual areas of strategic importance such as advanced manufacturing, space exploration, AI and cyber security, and space situational awareness.
Highlights
Highlights
- Space cooperation formalised through signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2021.
- India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues fostering collaborative projects between space companies from start-ups to major government projects.
- The Agency is investing $18 million in collaborative space projects as part of the International Space Investment Initiative India Project program.
- Australia will support India’s inspirational Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Program through our leading space tracking expertise and formalised through related agreements.
Europe
Australia has shared a close and productive space partnership with Europe for over 40 years, covering areas of deep space communications, navigation, data analysis, mission support, and more recently, human spaceflight.
Highlights
Highlights
- Australia and the European Space Agency (ESA) have had agreements in place since 1979 to enable ESA ground stations on Australian soil to track spacecraft and interplanetary missions.
- The Agency has invested in the construction of New Norcia-3 – a new 35-metre, deep space antenna located at ESA’s New Norcia station in Western Australia. New Norcia-3 will support upcoming ESA space missions, and is expected to begin operations in 2025.
- The Agency's Katherine Bennell-Pegg undertook astronaut training with ESA at the European Astronaut Centre near Cologne, Germany. In April 2024, Katherine graduated as the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag, and is now eligible for future missions including to the International Space Station (ISS).
United Kingdom
There are close synergies between the Australian and UK space sectors, with strong private sector capability and complementing technology focus areas that will accelerate progress on national space programs and activities.
Highlights
Highlights
- Signing of the UK-Australia Space Bridge Arrangement in February 2021 to formalise a partnership that would unlock new trade and investment opportunities as well as five collaborative research projects.
- Backing of three collaborative AU-UK space projects as part of the UK Space Agency’s £20 million International Bilateral Fund. The Agency provided co-funding for these projects via our International Space Investment Fund initiative.
- Satellite Applications Catapult, SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), and the UK Government launched the Space Supply Chain Mapping Tool to identify opportunities for collaboration and growth.
Japan
Australia and Japan have more than 40 years of treaty level science cooperation, and our work with JAXA is an important component of this. Our space partnership spans support for space missions as a returns destination through to educational outreach programs, such as the KIBO Robot Programming Challenge and Seeds in Space initiative, both facilitated through One Giant Leap Australia Foundation.
Highlights
Highlights
- Space cooperation formalised through signing of Memorandum of Understanding in July 2020.
- Partnered with JAXA on its Hayabusa2 Return mission. The Agency led a whole-of-government approach to successfully retrieve an asteroid sample that landed in South Australia’s Woomera Prohibited Area in 2020.
- The Agency formalised a partnership with JAXA on its Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) mission in 2023, which will see samples from the Martian moon, Phobos, land in South Australia by approximately 2031.
- Co-hosting the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum with JAXA in Perth in November 2024.
Our other global partners
Canadian Space Agency
CNES (French Space Agency)
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (Italian Space Agency)
DLR (German Aerospace Centre)
New Zealand Space Agency
Korea AeroSpace Administration
The United Arab Emirates Space Agency
Host to the world's biggest space events
APRSAF-30: 26-29 November 2024
The Agency and JAXA will co-host the 30th annual Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-30) in Perth, with special support from the Western Australian Government.
APRSAF brings the region's space sector together to foster closer ties across government, industry and academia.
This year’s theme is 'Collaborating to Build a Sustainable and Responsible Regional Space Sector’.
IAC: 29 September-3 October 2025
In 2025, the International Astronautical Congress will be hosted in Sydney, Australia. The event will be hosted by the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) in partnership with the Australian Space Agency and the NSW Government. The theme of the event is ‘Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth’.
This prestigious event is where the world's space community gathers to access the latest advancement and trends, academic works, industry connections and partnership opportunities.
Stay up to date with the latest from Australia’s space sector
News
