The Dandelions team went to the 11th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide on the 31st of March 2021.

Dandelions Team at the Australian Space Forum
Dandelions Team at the Australian Space Forum

Have you heard about the Australian Space Forum?

About The Australian Space Forum

The Australian Space Forum is a bi-annual event hosted by the Andy Thomas Space Foundation with support from the South Australian Government, the Australian Space Agency, and the SmartSat CRC. The event is held in Adelaide to bring together the best and brightest from Australia’s space industry and around the world.

This year, the Australian Space Forum was held on Wednesday 31 March 2021 at the Adelaide Convention Centre and live-streamed to a global audience. This year's event had over 1000 delegates participating either in-person or virtually through the Australian Space Forum desktop app.

The Australian Space Forum has three different purposes:

  • To feature different space industry leaders and create informative panel discussions regarding the current topics related to space and industry trends.

  • Provide exhibitions for exhibitors to showcase various innovative products and services for attendees.

  • Inspire the next generation of space industry leaders by giving opportunities for students and teachers to participate.

So, what did we do during the Australian Space Forum?

What We Did During The 11th Australian Space Forum

We started our day by walking to the Adelaide Convention Centre. The venue was not too far from our hotel, just a brisk 17-minute walk.

Upon arrival, we scanned our QR code to redeem our lanyard with our event ID. We also received an event book that gives information about the event hosts, schedule, speaker profiles, exhibitors profiles, sponsor profiles, and venue map. The hosts have also prepared an application to access the event information.

lanyard and id tag
lanyard and id tag

Behind the reception desk is the exhibition hall. Here, various exhibitors from across the nation showcase their innovations. There are 65 exhibitors during the 11th Australian Space Forum.

We immediately spotted our anchor stakeholder in the Wolfpack Space Hub, Saber Astronautics! Dandelions works out of the premises of the Wolfpack Space Hub.

Dandelions team in front of Saber booth
Dandelions team in front of Saber booth

There were also multiple coffee stands across the exhibition hall. Thank you, One Giant Leap Australia, for sponsoring the unlimited supply of coffee and tea!

Not long after we arrived, the bell rang. This bell was to inform us that an event was about to start in the Forum Hall. The opening message was scheduled at 8:30 am, so off we went to the Forum Hall.

Dandelions team in the forum hall of Australian Space Forum
Dandelions team in the forum hall of Australian Space Forum

After the welcome speeches and presentations about the national space landscape, we went back to the Exhibition Hall to visit the booths. We talked with many great exhibitors that we did not realize that we had missed the first Panel discussion session!

Dandelions team visiting the exhibition tools
Dandelions team visiting the exhibition tools

After our delicious lunch, again sponsored by One Giant Leap Australia, we went to the Forum Hall to discuss Quantum Engineering and Communication Technology for Space-Based Applications. The keynote speaker for this talk was Professor Andrea Morello from UNSW’s School of Electrical Engineering and Communications.

Panel discussion by Professor Andrea Morello
Panel discussion by Professor Andrea Morello

The next keynote speaker was Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, NSW’s Chief Scientist, who discussed The Importance of Advanced Manufacturing In The Knowledge Economic.

The significant part about this panel discussion was that it was both a physical and virtual meeting. We had other panelist speakers from all over the world, such as the USA, UK, and Japan.

After the closing message, we went back to the Exhibition Hall for the Networking Hour. That is the end of the 11th Australian Forum.

Highlights From The Australian Space Forum

  • South Australian Premier, Steven Marshall, is committed to growing South Australia as a 'space state'.

  • Celebration of the official opening of the Australian Space Discovery Centre and Mission Control Centre.

  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed his commitment to Australia's space industry.

  • The Space Scholarship Program is re-launched.

  • Primary and secondary school students across South Australia will compete to name Australia’s first state satellite, commencing in Term Two.

  • The Andy Thomas Space Foundation is offering $150,000 in scholarships to support space education across Australia

Where do you think we will go next?