Asia Pacific Space Centre gets Russian Approval - 12 March 2001
Australian-owned Asia Pacific Space Centre (APSC) has welcomed the Government of the Russian Federation's approval to participate in the development of launch vehicle "Aurora" for the APSC's proposed facility on the Australian Territory of Christmas Island. The Aurora launch vehicle is a Russian designed and manufactured launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 4.5 tonnes into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The proposed satellite launch facility will deliver advanced telecommunications, global positioning and remote sensing services.

Managing Director, Mr David Kwon, said "we are very pleased and excited about the approval and we are now one crucial step closer towards realising our objective to develop the first wholly private sector owned and operated space launch facility".

APSC has spent many years establishing a relationship with their Russian partners to facilitate the project. A project such as APSC's is unable to become a reality without the Russian Government approval. However, APSC is now the only organisation in Australia to have successfully secured the Russian approval, which now places APSC in an excellent position to proceed with the development of a satellite launch facility in Australia. "it is important to realise that the approval is a major achievement for an Australian company, and the potential future of the space industry in Australia," Mr Kwon said.

"We are delighted that after many years of negotiation with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos), that APSC is the first to strike an agreement".

APSC has formed an international consortium with Russian partners, including Rosaviakosmos, RSC Energia, Samara Central Specialised Design Bureau and Progress Plan (TsSKB Progress) and the Design Bureau of General Machine Building ("KBOM"), which have all been involved in launching the most reliable and successful rockets into space.

APSC is currently negotiating with a number of potential major satellite users, with the aim of providing the best quality service available that is both efficient and cost-effective.

In May 2000 the Australian Government granted environmental approval for the APSC project to build, operate and manage the commercial launch facility at Christmas Island. "Together with our Russian partners, we are well advanced to commence construction this year and aim to have the first commercial launch in 2009" Mr Kwon said.

APSC is also investigating an alternative option to position the facility in Brazil, which has the added benefit of being closer to the Equator than Christmas Island. The Brazilian Government is offering substantial financial inducements to APSC to relocate along with existing quality infrastructure. "Our negotiations with both the Australian and Brazilian governments have been very positive, and we are now assessing both options based on legislative approvals and the quality and cost of supporting infrastructure".

Mr Kwon said that APSC is working closely with both the Australian and Russian Governments. APSC will continue to keep the Brazil option open and will confirm the location of the facility within a few months.

APSC expects to capture a significant part of the rapidly growing satellite launch market, which is estimated to reach over $90 billion in value over the next 10 years. If the project is to go ahead on Christmas Island, it will offer significant employment and economic benefits to Australia.

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