Space Connect Podcast

There is no one solution to managing the tens of thousands of satellites in orbit but being a responsible user of space is a start. On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, Electro Optic Systems CEO Glen Tindall joins the team again to chat about the increasing importance of situational awareness in space, especially as hundreds of thousands of satellites are expected to be launched in the...

Australia is currently a prime location for space investment, and this wouldn't have been the case a few years ago. On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards chats to the CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia, James Brown, about how Australia was a popular country at the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado. The duo also chatted about SIAA's role in advocating f...

For a moon rover to be as autonomous as possible, it requires the right technology to be built into it.    On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards chats to robotics expert Thierry Peynot, a professor leading a team at the Queensland University of Technology that has built a navigation and perception system that could be used for the Australian rover launching to the mo...

On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards chats to Dr Aaron Cavosie, an American-born geologist, geochemist and planetary scientist.   Dr Cavosie chats about the recent discovery he and his PhD student made from a Mars meteorite sample – that could change what we know about the Red Planet – and the fundamental importance of space geology when it comes to future explorati...

On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, Fleet Space Technologies co-founder and CEO Flavia Tata Nardini chats to host Bella Richards all about how she started the company before Australia had a space agency, why nanosatellites are the future, and The Seven Sisters consortium.   Nardini reveals why nanosatellites are important in this era of the space industry, particularly for Australia,...

On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, hosts Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat to Dr Alice Gorman, also known as Dr Space Junk, about her current project on the International Space Station and the space debris crisis.    Gorman chats to the crew about her archaeological project on the ISS that is studying how the astronauts work and live, and it may help future space station endeavours...

On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards chats with space, defence and aviation veteran Brett Biddington about his thoughts on Australia's current trajectory towards sovereign capability.    During the episode, Brett reveals his thoughts on what Australia should focus on when it comes to space – such as ground stations rather than launches – and how, without a firm spac...

In this bonus episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and MAJGEN (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson discuss the importance of Australian business, including the space sector, preparing for possible cyber threats. The pair begin by discussing MAJGEN (Ret'd) Thompson's recent opinion piece in The Australian Financial Review, which dives into Russia's history of cyber and information warf...

On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards chats with Dr Rebecca Allen, a long-time astronomist, and the lead of an Australian project in collaboration with secondary high school students that have sought to create space-made yoghurt on the International Space Station.  As the team currently awaits the arrival of their space-made yoghurt back to Australia, Dr Allen chats ...

James Webb will send back images of space to Earth in the coming months, but until then,  it's fine-tuning its sensors to produce the best quality. On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat about the first star Webb has encountered, and how the telescope has now locked onto it for its first guiding process. Next, the team discusses NBN's response to a majo...

Gilmour Space Technologies is building a system that can abort a rocket launch on its own if any abnormality is detected. On this week ' s Space Connect Podcast, Adam Thorn and Bella Richards discuss the system that Gilmour is creating with SENER Aeroespacial, and whether this will save future launches more time and money. Next, the team chats about the American government's plan to deorbit the In...

A Curtin University student has made a 'strange' discovery through a wide-view telescope using his own technique. On this week's Space Connect Podcast episode, Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat about the beam that was discovered in the Milky Way that emits radiation multiple times an hour, and whether it is a clue of something astronomers have only known existed theoretically. Next, the team disc...

Flinders University has launched an "archeological experiment" on the ISS to determine how astronauts interact with their surroundings in space. On this week's Space Connect Podcast episode, Adam Thorn, Bella Richards and Liam Garman discuss what this study is all about, and how it is considered archeological. Then the crew chats about a new report that has been released in Australia urging the na...

The long-awaited James Webb telescope finally launched on Christmas Day and the observatory is now making its final adjustments before revealing the universe's biggest mysteries. On the first Space Connect Podcast episode for 2022, Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat about Webb's successful launch and all the latest updates. Then, the duo discusses Gilmour Space Technologies' latest rocket engine t...

Australia is leading a new initiative to search for planets that could sustain life from the world's nearest triple star system, Alpha Centauri. On this week's Space Connect Podcast episode, hosts Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat to the project leader, Professor Peter Tuthill, about what this mission means and whether he believes the team will find what they are looking for by the middle of the...

For Australia to take the next steps within the space industry, it must first form a core policy and develop a whole-of-government strategy. In this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, hosts Bella Richards and Liam Garman chat to Tristan Moss, a historian studying Australia's space industry, about a paper he recently published on what improvements are needed to further the nation's sovereign...

The commercialisation of space, billionaire joyrides, the first movie filmed in space, a Russian anti-satellite test and the International Space Station in danger – 2021 was a big year for the industry. On this end-of-year wrap up episode, hosts Adam Thorn and Bella Richards chat about the biggest themes that came out of 2021 – commercial space and debris – and how these shaped the industry foreve...

The first extreme wide-view observatory was launched in Australia last week and is set to boost the nation's space situational awareness.  On this week's Space Connect Podcast episode, hosts Adam Thorn and Bella Richards discuss how Silentium Defence built an observatory that uses innovative technology, and how Australia could be the global leader in this space.  Lastly, the crew chats about NASA'...

The Trailblazer program officially kicked off this week, enabling space companies to now access up to $50 million in government grants to build NASA a rover for the moon. On this week's Space Connect Podcast, hosts Adam Thorn, Bella Richards and Liam Garman discuss what this development means for Australia. They also talk about the university that has already built a navigation system that could b...

On this week's episode of the Space Connect Podcast, CEO of Southern Launch Lloyd Damp has joined hosts Adam Thorn and Bella Richards to discuss how the company is positioned to become the 'Cape Canaveral' of Australia. Southern Launch is set on delivering the first permanent commercial launch site in Australia and Damp chats to the crew about what the company has learned after the three unsuccess...

NASA has launched its DART spacecraft towards an asteroid this week, testing whether it can deflect a potentially dangerous asteroid from colliding with Earth. In this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Adam Thorn and co-hosts Bella Richards and Liam Garman chat about how the DART mission will work and whether NASA is prepared for the results. The crew also discusses Saber Astronautics...

This was a big week for space, and making headlines is the developing story of Russia launching anti-satellite missiles into low-Earth Orbit, creating over 1,000 fragments of space debris. On this week's Space Connect Podcast, host Adam Thorn and reporters Bella Richards and Liam Garman discuss the US condemning Russia for the anti-satellite test posing a threat to space activities and the growing...

Last week, Tom Hanks revealed he rejected Blue Origin's offer to sit on the NS-18 spaceflight before William Shatner was given the chance. On this week's Space Connect Podcast, host Adam Thorn and reporters Bella Richards and Liam Garman chat about why Hanks declined the offer and if this is another example of space remaining inaccessible. Then, the team discusses Crew-2 launching back to Earth af...

NASA is calling for the public to create an artificial intelligence algorithm for the Perseverance to better explore terrain. On this week's episode of the Space Connect Podcast, host Adam Thorne and reporters Bella Richards and Liam Garman discuss what the public can do to help Perseverance, and whether this could be used for future planet explorers. Next, the crew discusses NSW wrapping up a wee...

Blue Origin continues to push boundaries in space and announced this week it is building a low Earth orbit space station.    On this week's Space Connect Podcast episode, host Adam Thorne and reporters Bella Richards and Liam Garman discuss whether this is the next step forward in commercialising space, and who the space station is actually for.    The crew also chats about NASA and SpaceX's Crew-...