A new space industry company has its sights set on the Australian outback, with bold ambitions of creating a high-tech communications hub on the edge of Alice Springs.
Terram Astra will today be launched in Canberra, where the new company will announce its hopes of building a “sovereign space and defence infrastructure platform” in the Northern Territory.
The company plans to harness the clear Central Australian skies to create a fibre-optic-speed satellite communication network, as an alternative to subsea cable communications.
The clear night sky above Central Australia is valuable to Terram Astra. (Supplied: Terram Astra)
Chief executive Sean Thomas said Terram Astra was in discussions with the NT government and had also reached out to outback US-Australian base Pine Gap about the defence capabilities their company was offering.
“God forbid we’re ever in a situation where there is heightened conflict in the world, and communication cables are literally cut, or become inoperable,” he said.
“The ability of Australia and her allies to deter and defend, if necessary, becomes exacerbated in such a scenario.
“So having a ground-based, inland redundancy … becomes a real benefit, and frankly, becomes a real necessity to ensure safety of everybody.”
Terram Astra has reached out to Pine Gap about the company’s plans. (Supplied: Kristian Laemmle-Ruff)
The firm said it was also speaking with the South Australian government about the prospect of setting up a similar hub there.
Terram Astra hopes to raise $US10 million ($14.1 million) in seed funding to get the project underway.
The company was founded by Scott Wallis, who also started space firm Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), which facilitated three NASA rocket launches from Arnhem Land in 2022.
NT space base that launched NASA rockets to cease operations
Mr Thomas also has a background in the NT, where he helped develop plans for a major US fuel tank depot on Darwin Harbour, prior to the project becoming trouble-plagued.
Desire to be ‘good neighbour’ to Pine Gap
The company’s representatives said they were pursuing a piece of Crown land on an industrial area, Brewer Estate, south of Alice Springs, where they hoped to be operational by late 2026.
They said they then wanted to expand “high-level technologies” to different locations after initial operations were up and running.
Sean Thomas says the company wants to be a good corporate citizen to the communities it operates in. (Supplied: Terram Astra)
“We’re building a platform, starting with Alice Springs, that is going to persist for decades, not for news cycles,” Mr Thomas said.
“It’s really imperative for us to be good corporate citizens in the communities that we operate in, starting outside of Alice Springs.”
He said the company also hoped to be a “good neighbour” to Pine Gap.
“We have initiated outreach for the purposes of collaboration and discussion with Pine Gap,” Mr Thomas said.
“I think that Terram Astra would present some compelling capabilities that would be beneficial to the Australian government in a number of regards.”
A spokesperson for the NT’s Country Liberal Party government confirmed Terram Astra had briefed the administration on its plans.
“The Territory is open for business and welcomes private investment that supports new industries and economic growth,” they said.
Terram Astra founder Mr Wallis parted ways with ELA in acrimonious circumstances prior to the company’s 2022 sub-orbital NASA rocket launches from Arnhem Land.
In December 2024, ELA pulled the pin on its NT operations, citing an impasse with the Northern Land Council over its long-term land tenure.
Rockets were launched from the NT in 2022 as part of an ELA project in Arnhem Land. (Supplied: ELA)