To infinity and beyond! Macquarie Park to host space summit
EVENT DATE
Tuesday, 22 February
TIME
8:00am - 9:30AM AEDT
LOCATION
Online via Zoom
From Australian-controlled satellites to Mars rovers - Macquarie Park’s surprisingly significant space industry will reach for the stars next week as the burgeoning district plays host to its first space innovation summit.
The online event will showcase local industry capability, and hear from keynote speakers including Dr Abigail Allwood from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr Allwood works on NASA’s successful Perseverance Mars rover which landed on the red planet last year. She is the first female and first Australian principal investigator on a NASA Mars mission, and a Macquarie University PhD alumnus.
Event attendees will also hear from Dr Tim Parsons, Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, Nick Miller from Optus Satellite & Space Systems, Mike Gallagher, Defence & Aerospace (Investment New South Wales), space start up success story Quasar Satellite Technologies plus the CSIRO.
Macquarie University’s Executive Director, Corporate Engagement, Paul Hogan says people will be surprised to learn at the scale of the space industry in Macquarie Park:
“From start-ups spinning off from the extensive research happening here, to established industry players who are leading in telecommunication satellite technology, defence, optics and more."
"This online innovation summit will allow partners from further afield to discover what's happening in Macquarie Park and get up to date on the latest industry news and developments."
Macquarie Park is also home to a tri-university research partnership on space visioning instrumentation (Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) that allows us to peer further into the depths of space than ever before.
February’s Summit is part of an industry-highlighting series organised by a joint committee under the umbrella of Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District, including members the City of Ryde and Macquarie University, Macquarie University Incubator plus AustCyber. Their aim is to celebrate local achievements, create collaborative networks and highlight the positive impact of Macquarie Park’s native industry sectors.
"The Macquarie Park Space Innovation Summit has been organised by organisations who are working together to advance Macquarie Park as an innovation district and is a demonstration of the close collaboration that happens here,” said Mr Hogan.
The online event is free to attend, but prior registration is essential.
