Economic snapshot of the Australian space sector: 2016-17 to 2018-19

The Economic snapshot presents the size and growth of the Australian space sector from 2016– 17 to 2018– 19.

Overview 

The Economic snapshot of the Australian space sector: 2016– 17 to 2018– 19 is the first biennial snapshot published by the Australian Space Agency. The snapshot contributes to understanding the economic activity generated in the Australian space sector over this period.

This report is based on information about organisations in Australia involved in activities across the space value chain, by sampling and surveying organisations operating in the Australian space sector. This exercise was undertaken with the support of independent consultants Nous Group and Alpha Beta (Accenture). 

Key outcomes 

The Economic snapshot finds that from 2016– 17 to 2018– 19 the sector made positive progress towards the Australian Government’s goals to grow the size of the sector and its contribution to the economy. The two years to FY19 saw: 

• an 11.3 per cent increase in the number of organisations operating in the Australian space sector from FY17 to FY19
• increased employment with over 1,100 direct space jobs created between FY17 and FY19 
• steady increase in space sector revenue, from $4.3 billion in FY17 to $4.6 billion in FY19, a 5.8 per cent increase over the two years (an average annual growth rate of 2.9 per cent) 
• a growing investment pipeline into the Australian civil space sector identified, valued at a total of approximately $2.02 billion. This includes $774.6 million inbound investment from private industry and international space agencies.

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