Australia Signs Five New Space Industry Partnerships with India

Key facts

• Australia and India signed five new industry partnerships covering satellite communications, research and development, and launch and re-entry technologies.
• The agreements were signed over two days during an Australian business delegation's engagement at the 9th edition of the Bengaluru Space Expo.
• One partnership brings together Australian satellite communications company LatConnect 60 and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
• Another partnership involves the University of Western Australia and the Space Industry Association of India (SIA) India for research, development and education collaboration.
• Australian launch and re-entry company Space Machines partnered with Indian companies Angel Technologies, Red Balloon Aerospace and Inbound Aerospace.
• The agreements build on a memorandum of understanding between the Australian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on space cooperation.
• Australia has allocated about AUD 20 million through grants supporting companies collaborating with Indian organisations.
• India-Australia bilateral trade has crossed AUD 50 billion, with Austrade supporting more than 1,400 businesses engaging with India and South Asia over the past year.
• Critical minerals and rare earths have been identified as another emerging area of India-Australia cooperation, including processing, refining and offtake agreements.