Enhance your IAC 2025 Experience
Make the most of your stay with tailored Technical Tours during and post congress, across Australia and New Zealand, showcasing the best of our Trans-Tasman’s space industries.
Choose from a range of exclusive Australia and New Zealand Technical Tours.
Make your time in Australia unforgettable by exploring some of the country’s most iconic space tourism destinations. Stand beneath the towering dish of the Parkes Observatory, where history was made in humanity’s first steps on the Moon. Discover the cutting edge of astronomical research at Siding Spring Observatory and gateway to the magnificent Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park. Here, crystal-clear night skies reveal the cosmos in dazzling detail, offering a stargazing experience like nowhere else on Earth. Blending world-class science with breathtaking natural beauty, these post-conference adventures promise inspiration, wonder, and a deeper connection to the universe above.
How to get here and where to stay. There are usually two things that draw people to Parkes in the Central West region of NSW. First is ‘The Dish’, the giant radio telescope that played an integral role in the 1969 Moon landings. The second is the iconic Parkes Elvis Festival, a rollicking annual event where pompadours and pomade rule.
How to get here and where to stay. Think you’ve seen the sky? You ain’t seen nothing until you visit the Warrumbungle region, home of Australia’s first Dark Sky Park (an honour bestowed on only 13 places in the world) – where zero light pollution means the night sky is beyond vivid.
Make it a space inspired, unforgettable road trip
Weave your way through Central and Outback NSW, through historic towns and spellbinding landscapes, following luminous night skies and traditional Dreamtime stories.
Experience an intimate guided tour of the iconic Sydney Observatory, a heritage-listed site atop the highest natural point in Sydney Cove.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has a vibrant space ecosystem, driven by a unique combination of innovative companies, world-class research, and supportive government initiatives. It is home to some of the most advanced space industry infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific, supporting major space missions.
Space facilities include the National Space Test Facility, Quantum Optical Ground Station and Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility at the Australian National University (ANU), the Australian National Concurrent Design Facility at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex – one of three NASA Deep Space Network Facilities in the world.
These facilities offer comprehensive services for designing, building, and testing spacecraft, as well as mission control and applications like earth observation. With institutions like ANU and UNSW Canberra leading research in astrophysics, space, and quantum technologies, the ACT plays a crucial role in the global space industry.
To arrange a tour or for more information, please contact:
- National Space Test Facility and Quantum Optical Ground Station – rsaa.enquiries@anu.edu.au
- Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility – HIA.admin@anu.edu.au
- Australian National Concurrent Design Facility – space.cbr@unsw.edu.au
ANU National Space Test Facility
© Cristy Roberts, Space Craft testing at ANU National Space Test Facility
ANU Quantum Optical Ground Station
© Carl Davies – CMDphotographics
ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility
© ANU photo - Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility Space Irradiation Beamline
Australian National Concurrent Design Facility at UNSW Canberra
© Pew Pew Studio
Tasmania is a unique gateway for aeronautical and space innovation. Delegates interested in visiting the state can explore space research at the University of Tasmania or visit the Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory.
With flights available to Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania is a must-visit destination for aerospace enthusiasts.
Or email space@stategrowth.tas.gov.au
UTAS is the world’s only university that operates a continental-scale array of antennas.
Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory
Mount Pleasant is home to the Grote Reber Museum, which honours a pioneer of radio astronomy and provides a fascinating insight into the history of space discovery.
From Sydney to Adelaide, select from three great options—Flinders Rangers to Eyre Peninsula or stay in the heart of Adelaide.
Discover the rugged, weathered peaks and rocky gorges of the Flinders Ranges in outback South Australia form some of the most dramatic and beautiful landscapes in the country.
The Eyre Peninsula boasts fantastic food and wine, luxury accommodation and abundant wildlife, but it's best known for its world-famous aquatic activities.
Adelaide and Murray Bridge 4-Day
Experience the tranquil Murray River under some of the darkest skies on Earth, stargazing with expert astronomers.
Western Australia is rapidly becoming a key Indo-Pacific space hub with significant capability in mission operations; communications; tracking; satellite development; launch and returns.
Key Boorloo/Perth space-associated facilities include the Fugro Space Automation, AI and Robotics Control Complex; Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct; and three universities (Curtin, ECU and UWA) with space expertise.
Close to Boorloo/Perth is ESA’s New Norcia facility; UWA Space Surveillance Hub; the Gravity Discovery Centre; and Perth Observatory. In regional Western Australia, the Mingenew Space Precinct and Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara observatory host significant space infrastructure including the SKA-low telescope.
Located in the heart of Brisbane, is Yandiwanba: QUT’s Lunar Testbed and Space Lab designed to test planetary rover missions in realistic conditions, supported by the QUT Centre for Robotics
Queensland is home to the Australian Space Manufacturing Network (ASMN), anchored by Gilmour Space Technologies. It spans the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland and an advanced manufacturing facility co-located with a Common User Facility on the Gold Coast. Established to accelerate Australia’s space manufacturing capabilities, the Common User Facility houses high-precision machinery, 3D printers, vibration tables, and a thermal vacuum chamber — all supported by skilled technicians, and made accessible to ASMN partners on a preferred basis
Located in the heart of Brisbane, is Yandiwanba: QUT’s Lunar Testbed and Space Lab designed to test planetary rover missions in realistic conditions, supported by the QUT’s Centre for Robotics.
Completing these advanced capabilities are manufacturing and testing facilities at the UniSQ, run in partnership with the iLAuNCH Trailblazer program.
Or visit UniSQ’s Mount Kent Observatory, the only facility in the Southern Hemisphere playing a leading role in support of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
New Zealand Aerospace Summit 2025
7-8 October 2025. The New Zealand Aerospace Summit 2025, themed "Open Skies: Leveraging New Zealand’s Low Air Traffic and Rapid Regulatory Environment,” will take place on October 7-8, 2025, at Te Pae Convention Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
More information coming soon!
Explore New Horizons at the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre
Uniquely positioned as a premier gateway for aerospace innovation, the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre Technical Tour will offer participants the opportunity to experience one of the world’s best locations for aerospace development, flight testing, and space launch activities. Situated on the unpopulated Kaitorete Spit between Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) and the Pacific Ocean, this expansive site provides ideal conditions with its flat landscape, open skies, and access to optimal orbits.
Participants will have the opportunity to tour cutting-edge facilities at Tāwhaki, which currently includes a sealed runway designed for advanced aviation and horizontal space launch capabilities. Upcoming additions, such as new hangar facilities and expanded testing infrastructure, further establish Tāwhaki as a critical hub for the global aerospace industry. With strong relationships with local regulators, the Centre plays a pivotal role in streamlining testing and development for both national and international partners, including Wisk, Dawn Aerospace, Kea Aerospace, and many others.
