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 nation’s space industries.
Choose from a range of exclusive Australia and New Zealand Technical Tours.
Meet our innovative start-ups at the National Space Industry Hub, dive into cutting-edge R&D with neuromorphic intelligence at the University of Western Sydney, tour manufacturing facilities like UTS Tech Lab, learn how GEO satellites fly at Optus Space Operation Centre, look back in time at our heritage-listed observatory station at the Sydney Observatory, and much more!
Connect with our innovative start-ups. The Hub provides essential support, mentorship, and a collaborative network that encourages startups working across deep tech to explore applications that extend beyond Earth.
Dive into cutting-edge R&D with neuromorphic intelligence where they study and mimic biological brains and sensory organs to engineer compact, robust, and efficient artificial neural networks that out-perform classical computers and conventional sensors.
Tour manufacturing facilities in our 18,000sqm state-of-the-art research facility offering bespoke industry partnerships for engineering and IT innovation.
Optus Space Operation Centre
Learn how GEO satellites fly at the Belrose Satellite Operations Centre (SOC), a world-class facility that manages over 350 satellite, media and data services. It operates 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Look back in time at our heritage-listed observatory station. A symbol of time and history since 1858, Sydney Observatory has evolved over the years — from steering ships to mapping stars, housing some of Australia's first weather maps to its role now as a public educational space and museum.
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.
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.
