Australian Space Agency joined Kibo-ABC initiative!

The Kibo-ABC secretariat have received a letter from the Australian Space Agency that expresses their wish to participate in the Kibo-ABC initiative. All Kibo-ABC members officially confirmed on the 3rd of October 2019 for Australia to join the initiative.

The Agency is responsible for whole-of-government coordination of civil space matters and is the primary source of advice to the Australian Government on civil space policy. The Agency will transform and grow a globally respected Australian space industry. They were established in Canberra on 1 July 2018 and now headquartered in Adelaide with a growing number of staff.

On the week of 4^th March, 2019, JAXA's KUOA office staff visited the Agency in Australia for coordination and discussion of future collaborations for Kibo utilization within the Asia-Pacific region. They appreciated the benefits and potential outcomes to the countries from Kibo-ABC's major activities, namely SSAF (Space Seeds for Asian Future), Asian Try Zero-G, and Kibo Robot Programming Challenge.

The Australian Point of Contact (POC) was previously the Australian National University (ANU). The Agency is now the primary POC for Australia and the ANU will remain as the secondary POC for the Kibo-ABC initiative. The Agency will work with other Australian industry partners to appoint POC's for the major activities.

Moreover, they attended APRSAF-26 in Nagoya, Japan and presented not only previous activities but also their future goals. It was a fruitful opportunity for all Kibo-ABC members.

Mr. Karl Rodrigues, Executive Director of the Australian Space Agency, says, "Australia is looking forward to participating in the Kibo-ABC initiative and for the exciting opportunities the activities present for the region."