The table above lists decisions made by the Minister or their delegate under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018 (the Act) to either grant, vary, revoke, suspend or transfer a:
- Australian launch permit
- Launch facility licence
- Return authorisation
- Overseas payload permit
- High power rocket permit
Notes
- Updates to the decisions about space activities table are usually published shortly after a decision is made. The most up-to-date version is attached, above.
- Decisions are made by the Minister or their delegate, as outlined under section 104 of the Act.
- Decisions are based on criteria outlined under the Act and related legislative instruments.
- It is common for the Minister of their delegate to attach conditions to permits, licences and authorisations. Currently, the Australian Space Agency does not publish details of conditions.
Main image: Varda’s spacecraft, Winnebago-3, re-entered Earth and landed at Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range in regional South Australia. Image credit: Southern Launch.
Get in touch
Contact the Agency’s National Space Safety Office if you have questions about the attached information or about conducting space activities.
Latest decisions
Please refer to the attachment for more details.
• On 8 May, Southern Launch received authorisation for a series of two returns of Varda Space Industries.
• Swinburne University of Technology was given a Return authorisation (overseas payload) on 23 April 2026 for their Swinburne SYSIC and Seeds in Space projects.
• On 23 April 2026 Fleet Space Technologies and Swinburne University of Technology were granted Overseas Payload Permits for their respective innovations.
• On 10 March 2026, University of Southern Queensland were given a Return authorisation (overseas payload) for their space experiment that went to the International Space Station.
• On 28 February 2026, SPACEKNOWLEDGE Pty Ltd, a student run organisation based in Queensland, were granted an Overseas Payload Permit to collect solar radiation data in micro-gravity conditions. They were also given Return authorisation (overseas payload).
• On 28 January 2026, University of Southern Queensland received their Overseas Payload Permit.
