Australia's space agency launches effort to fight space junk

Australia’s federal space authority is hoping improve its understanding of space junk to support its ongoing mission to improve the nation’s extraterrestrial satellite communication capabilities.

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) is giving industry stakeholders and academic institutions a chance to show off their capabilities in the field with a view to creating a new space debris research community, federal tender documents reveal.

The ASA is an associate member of the international, government-led authority for monitoring humanly derived space junk, the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).

The agency is hoping the expressions of interest will allow it to improve its ability contribute to the group’s global effort.

“The [ASA] is exploring the possibility of establishing a space debris research community to enable information sharing and coordinate input to the IADC," it wrote in its invitation for expression of interest released today. 

"Responses ... are sought from parties who are interested in voluntary participation in a space debris research community."

The ASA has invited the expressions of interest to participate on a voluntary basis. It wants to identify gaps in Australia’s current research into space debris as well as its strengths.

The exercise may lead to the creation of an “ongoing platform for researchers and stakeholders to share updates, coordinate efforts, and engage with IADC-related activities,” it said.

The IADC operates four working groups, including ones designated to monitor space for meteors, debris and other potential threats to earth, and more technical dimensions of monitoring space junk, Environment and Database, WG2.

WG2 is tasked with modelling meteoroid and debris behaviour and works with a third group, WG3, which focuses on protecting the earth from hypervelocity impacts and other threats. WG3’s work includes impact data and simulation software.

The scope of the expression of interest process includes exploring capabilities specialist tools, software and facilities for monitoring debris.

The agency has set a deadline of December 12 to accept submissions.