South Australia-based mission control center to monitor Australia's satellites: gov't

CANBERRA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Spacecrafts launched by Australia's national space agency will be monitored from a mission control center based in Australia's state of South Australia, the government announced.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews on Monday told News Corp Australia that in addition to housing the Australian Space Agency, Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, will also be the home of mission control and the Space Discovery Center.

Andrews committed 12 million Australian dollars (8.5 million U.S. dollars) in funding for the two projects, which are both part of the City Deal between federal, state and local governments that will see the former site of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, transformed into the agency's inaugural home.

She said that the deal was part of the government's plan to boost South Australia's economy by making it the center of Australia's fast-growing space industry.

"A Mission control Centre helps position SA for that," Andrews told News Corp Australia.

"I'm also keen to inspire more Australians to embrace the endless possibilities of space and the Space Discovery Center will engage our youth to pursue their interstellar dreams."

The Australian Space Agency has been expected with the aim to triple the annual value of Australia's space industry to 12 billion Australian dollars (8.5 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030, creating 20,000 jobs along the way.

Andrews said that the facility will also provide certainty for private Australian space businesses, which will be able to develop their own technology with the knowledge that Australian facilities will be able to provide support.

"It will be available for use by space start-ups and small-to-medium enterprise space businesses, as well as research and educational institutions from across Australia," she said.