August 01, 2024 – According to recent reports from Reuters, SpaceX is considering expanding its rocket testing program and has been in discussions with the Australian Space Agency regarding this matter. The company hopes to launch its Starship from Texas, send satellites into space, and then recover them from Australian waters.
Interestingly, this news comes just before the signing of a billion-dollar bilateral agreement between the United States and the Australian Space Agency.
While SpaceX has not commented on the matter, a spokesperson for the Australian Space Agency confirmed that various organizations have begun negotiations with domestic and foreign companies regarding potential rocket launch opportunities, following the approval of the US-Australia agreement.
This month, the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Treaties approved the “Technical Safeguards Agreement,” stating that it “will benefit the Australian space industry and provide opportunities for Australian companies.”
The spokesperson for the Australian Space Agency stated, “With this agreement, spacecraft operators are expected to be able to provide up to 100 space launches over the next decade, generating $1 billion in revenue for the Australian economy.”
Reuters reports that SpaceX had already begun discussing the possibility of conducting the Starship project in Australia before the approval of the US-Australia agreement. The company plans to launch the Starship from Texas and achieve landing and recovery off the coast of Australia.
The industry believes that for SpaceX to successfully conduct Starship launches in Australia, the United States needs to relax export controls on advanced space technology. As a result, the advancement of the bilateral agreement between the US and Australia conveniently addresses the security and other concerns related to SpaceX’s Starship program.
