Partner sought to reach for the stars
Expressions of interest are being sought for a partner to operate the Common User Facility (CUF) within the Australian Space Park (ASP), the first dedicated space manufacturing hub in Australia, which is set to accelerate the country’s sovereign space manufacturing capability.
Artist impression of Australian Space Park
As part of the ASP, the South Australian Government will develop a CUF to enable the scaling of manufacturing capacity and capability by the broader space industry.
As part of the ASP, the South Australian Government will develop a CUF to enable the scaling of manufacturing capacity and capability by the broader space industry.
The South Australian Government is investing $20 million in the Australian Space Park, while the Federal Government is providing an additional $20 million in funding to support the expansion of the CUF. Private companies Fleet Space Technologies, Q-CTRL, ATSpace and Alauda Aeronautics have signed on as partners and co-investors.
With manufacturing space companies co-located around the CUF, they will be able to foster collaboration, reducing barriers to entry for space companies and accelerating Australian manufacturing of small satellites, payloads, rockets, and ground elements at scale.
Expressions of interest are sought from either a single entity (prime contractor) or a consortium with the capability, capacity, and resources to operate the CUF, to drive the development of Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Test (MAIT) activities across space manufacturing projects at scale.
The successful CUF operator will be selected in a two-stage procurement process. This EOI stage focuses on developing a shortlist of respondents with the appropriate approach to operate the CUF.
Applicants interested in operating the CUF are encouraged to present their best proposal at EOI stage, as shortlisting will be finalised at this stage.
The shortlisted respondents will be invited to participate in a request for proposal (RFP) process and the submission of a proposal.
Further information on proposed site location, building size and layout will be provided to shortlisted EOI respondents as part of the RFP process.
Industry and interested organisations are invited to a virtual industry briefing to find out more about the EOI. Full details on the briefing are available in the Expression of Interest document available on the South Australian Tenders and Contracts website.
Expressions of interest will only be accepted through the SA Tenders and Contracts website www.tenders.sa.gov.au and must be submitted prior to 2.00pm (ACDT), Monday 31 October 2022.
For further information view the Australian Space Park