Western Cape York community members will have a chance to learn about the HENSOLDT radar systems planned to be installed in locations including Weipa, Lockhart River, Bamaga and Horn Island when Space Centre Australia holds a public consultation session in Weipa on 20 February. Photo: Supplied.
Radars, rockets and remote economic sustainability will be on the agenda when Space Centre Australia (SCA) holds a community consultation session in Weipa on 20 February.
The session will provide an update on the SCA launch centre project, its planned operation of air traffic control and marine traffic monitoring radar systems on behalf of German sensor technology and defence giant HENSOLDT in Weipa, Lockhart River, Bamaga and Horn Island, and the role SCA believes it has to play in the long-term economic diversification of the region.
“Our key goals are to gain a better understanding of the current challenges the community faces with land tenure, realising future investment opportunities in critical infrastructure development, perceived impacts of the East Weipa mine closure and the prospect of achieving normalisation for the western Cape,” SCA chief executive officer James Palmer told Cape York Weekly.
“For the first radar site, after an extensive assessment period, we have determined that the most suitable location for the first air traffic radar is near the Weipa Airport; we are yet to fully lock down a permanent site, but we have narrowed it down to three locations around the Weipa Airport area.
“As to the location [of the main spaceport and launch centre], this still remains the same – east of RAAF Scherger near the Billys Lagoon area.”
Mr Palmer said a capital raising was currently under way in the United States, adding Weipa residents could expect to see a more permanent presence by the company in the township by the end of 2025.
“We are aiming to have a more permanent presence in Weipa later this year,” he said.
“[The capital raising] will enable us to ramp up staff, and open a project office and information centre directly in the Weipa region.”
The SCA boss said he expected operational phases of the launch and radar projects to still be at least three years away.
“Taking current conditions and progress into account, we expect these operational phases to commence late 2028 [or] early 2029 to support smaller launch operations and the radar operations,” Mr Palmer said.
“We expect larger launch operations to commence in the early 2030s.”
The session will be held in the Albatross Bay Resort conference room from 6:30pm, with all community members welcome to attend.
One of the radar systems Space Centre Australia plans to operate on Cape York on behalf of German-based HENSOLDT. Photo: Supplied.
