Sector: Space

The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex is located on the Southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula.

When Shena Howell was pursuing her passion for the arts at a young age, she never thought her natural creativity would drive her to become an innovative thought leader in South Australia’s defence and space industries.

A new $20 million space manufacturing facility will be developed at Lot Fourteen to provide space companies with open access to a space assembly, test and integration facility in the Adelaide CBD at Lot Fourteen.

As one of South Australia’s youngest female STEM graduates rocketing to success in the state’s space sector, Georgia Dallimore is passionate about inspiring the next generation of women in STEM to reach for the stars.

Fully manufactured at Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen, South Australia’s first state-funded satellite, Kanyini, was launched onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-11 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on 17 August 2024.

The launch site specialises in suborbital launches and provides companies with the ability to recover rockets and their payload to do further testing and systems validation before launching into orbit.

Throughout his colourful career, Veteran Dave Saunders has worn many hats, sharpening his skill set in roles across Defence, public service, research and most recently, space.

Bez’s passion for innovation led him to South Australia’s defence and space industries, where he helps accelerate cutting-edge projects through collaboration and international engagement.

A keen interest in science and physics in Nishanth Sri Shiva Madhavan’s former school years has paved the way to an exciting career in South Australia's space industry.

Harrison turned his childhood dream of working in space into reality, combining his passion for engineering and sustainability to tackle the challenge of space debris.

Imelda’s unconventional career path, spanning Biomedical Science, retail banking, and consulting at PwC, has led her to a thriving role in the defence and space industries. Now with Fleet Space Technologies, she drives space exploration while applying her skills to defence and mining projects.

Jack grew up in the Adelaide Hills with a passion for science and maths, leading him to a career in the defence and space sectors. Now an Electronic Warfare Engineer at Inovor Technologies, he works on enhancing the Royal Australian Navy’s electronic warfare capabilities.

Allan Dias was born in Brazil and, after his father received a job offer, he found himself moving to China during high school. With a fascination for flight and a knock-back from the Brazilian Air [...]

Growing up with a love for astronomy, Naida turned her dream of working in space into reality by studying Mechatronics and Space Engineering. After joining the Australian Youth Aerospace Association, she saw the growing space ecosystem in South Australia, which led her to relocate.

Dr Jordan Plotnek’s career soared from Flight Lieutenant in the RAAF to space cyber security expert. Now a Senior Lecturer at UniSA, he helps build cyber resilience in critical infrastructure while shaping the future of space security.

Dr. Gretel Png, an electrical engineer with global experience, joined DSTG in 2018. Passionate about space and nuclear-powered submarines, Gretel aims to influence defence’s STEM initiatives while continuing to learn and contribute to South Australia’s tech landscape.