A new Australian Government-funded space program connecting local companies and researchers to international organisations is set to drive the development and commercialisation of Australian space technologies.

The iLAuNCH Global Pathfinder Program is the result of a partnership between Deloitte Australia and the three iLAuNCH Trailblazer universities – the University of South Australia, the University of Southern Queensland and the Australian National University.

The program will leverage Deloitte’s global space network to create opportunities for Australia’s space research and development community to showcase world-class innovation and access international markets, supporting further growth in the space industry.

iLAuNCH Trailblazer Executive Director Darin Lovett said the Global Pathfinder Program builds on the success of the local Trailblazer program, which develops Australia’s space capabilities by fostering partnerships between universities and industry.

“Australia ranks in the top echelons for developing Intellectual Property, but we don’t capitalise well to commercialise. The Australian Government created the Trailblazer Universities Program to overcome this, providing AUD $370 million of dedicated investment to accelerate Australia’s innovation agenda at speed and at scale,” he said.

“This Global Pathfinder program is innovative in its vision and approach, emulating international space ecosystems for space technology to export our world-class innovation into a global market”.

Under Phase 1 of the program, international organisations are being invited to express their interest in space research and development and to co-develop the Global Pathfinder Program.

Deloitte Australia Space Partner Byron Riessen welcomed the opportunity to work with iLAuNCH Trailblazer and contribute to the growth of Australia’s space industry.

“Deloitte has a long-standing commitment to developing Australia’s space ecosystem and promoting a unified global approach to the development of the space ecosystem,” he said.

“We continue to demonstrate this commitment through initiatives like the successful GRAVITY Challenge, founded by Deloitte in 2019, which now operates globally from Australia.”

iLAuNCH expects to announce the successful international partners in the Global Pathfinder Program in late 2024.