maxon are proud to collaborate with Space Industries on an exciting project that will be an Australian – and world – first
Australian start-up company, Space Industries, have been working with maxon Group Australia for nearly one year. Their project is gaining global attention and traction – developing new mining technologies for the moon.
maxon announced their collaboration with Australian start-up Space Industries in August 2019. Since then, Space Industries have expanded globally with the backing of more than 25 industry leaders including NASA, Jacobs, Amazon and Fugro and entered into a number of strategic intents.
The pioneering company have received accolades and recognition for their innovation and rapid growth in the emerging Australian Space sector. Chief Executive Officer of Space Industries, Joshua Letcher, has been nominated as a Finalist in the new Australian Space Awards in the category of Innovator of the Year (Individual) and the company is finalist for Start-up of the Year. They were also a Finalist in NASA’s iTech 2019 Cycle II awards. There’s certainly a lot to talk about with Space Industries. 2020 is the year they will bring their demonstration Lunar Resource Extraction Vehicle (LREV) project to fruition and construction will begin on Australia’s first dedicated Space precinct, called the Western Australia Space Precinct (WASP). This will become the permanent base for Space Industries with a move date planned for 2021. The WASP complex will be a hub of opportunities for Australian SMEs to enter Space.
Space Industries have commenced production on their first demonstration vehicle, the LREV, that will produce water from Lunar simulant. In another ground-breaking move, the project will be 3D printed using one of the world’s largest aerospace 3D printers that is being especially assembled by the Space Industries team. The 3D printer will have a print bed size of 2m width x 3m length x 1.5m height, a print hot end of 500°C, print bed capable of 350°C and with panels, will have an ambient temperature of up to 350°C. These requirements are specific to printing specialised space materials such as PEEK.
With the Australian Government recently announcing a commitment to building the Australian space industry with a $150m investment over five years, and signed joint statement of intent with NASA, the knowledge gained and technology created from this specialised sector will spill over into other areas of Australian economy. Sectors such as agriculture, oil & gas, mining and communications will benefit from the insights acquired and technologies employed. According to NASA, Australia has a wealth of knowledge to contribute in areas such as robotics, automation, and remote asset management based on current mining technologies. maxon and Space Industries are excited to see what the very-near future will bring!
For further information visit Space Industries or call maxon motor Australia +61 2 9457 7477.
© 2020 by maxon motor Australia
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