BAE Systems sent five graduate engineers, three senior engineers and two speakers to Aerospace Futures 2018 for four days of space exploration in Canberra.
From 3D-printed rocket engines, drone racing with the Australian Army and inspiring presentations from our own Andrew Sysouphat and Sarah Shannon, our team got an insight into the burgeoning space industry in Australia and what that means for BAE Systems.
Best bits
"I found the work being done by Myriota on direct to satellite data aquisition/transfer interesting due to the potential uses it could have for real time structural/conditional health monitoring of systems being maintained by BAE." Adam Yarrow
"The interplay between UNSW Canberra Space and its spin-off, Skykraft, is a unique and powerful tool to foster innovative ideas and realise them." Himmat Panag
"Hearing Prof Steven Freeland emphasise the importance of space law and policy, areas I'd never really considered but are fundamental elements of industry development." Nicholas Balcomb
"Absolutely floored by Rocket Lab's 3D printed engine and completely in-house manufacturing." Nicholas Balcomb
"The highlights were seeing the nano UAVs currently in use by the Australian Army and how hard they were to hear and see. The presentation by UNSW Canberra on their collaborative engineering hub and how this was used to expedite the concept design phase (this concept seemed similar to BAE’s rapid response room, but there were a few subtle differences that could be useful for smaller BAE projects)." Adam Yarrow
"Highlights were hearing Dr Paul Scully-Power speak at the final dinner event, hearing from Thales about their development of the Stratobus and the potential uses it could have for providing lower cost 4/5G telecommunication systems, and learning about the potential for 10cm accurate GPS services in Australia through the use of SBAS corrections that Geoscience Australia intends to implement." Adam Yarrow
"I was proud to be represented by Sarah on the Future Workforce Panel. She did a great job embodying the company's values and expressing how they’re carried through our recruitment process." Nicholas Balcomb
Lastly, special shout out to Ed Muthiah who sacrificed months of sleep to act as Conference Chair in addition to his full time Graduate Engineer role.
If you’re keen to read more about what went on, follow the link to http://aerospacefutures.ayaa.com.au/