Left to right: Sam Forbes (Fugro’s SpAARC Director), Enrico Palermo (Head of the Australian Space Agency), Dawn McIntosh (Fugro’s Space Systems Director), Roger Cook (WA Deputy Premier) and Amar Umap (Fugro Group Director Asia Pacific) at the official opening of SpAARC.
Fugro has opened the Australian Space Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Complex, better known as SpAARC, in the heart of Perth’s CBD.
The new facility — Fugro’s largest remote operations centre to date — is a joint venture between the Australian Space Agency, the Western Australia Government and Fugro.
The aim of SpAARC is to manage robotics and other harsh-environment remote operations in Australia, around the world and in space.
According to Fugro, SpAARC will enhance Australian space missions by “creating a scalable and accessible industry operating standard,” as well as facilitating “complex missions for Australian industries and researchers”.
The federal government contributed funding to SpAARC through its Space Infrastructure Fund. The venture also received funding from the WA Government and forms part of the Perth City Deal Program.
“Space is a critical component of Australia’s growing ecosystem of cross-cutting technologies such as robotics, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence,” said the head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo.
“Australia already excels in large-scale remote asset management and Earth-based robotics in harsh environments — and by investing in infrastructure like SpAARC, the Agency is creating a unique opportunity for our organisations to grow into new global markets.”
“By building on and extending Fugro’s already impressive remote operations expertise, this foundational infrastructure underpins the next phase of development to support Australia and the world’s most important space missions,” added Fugro’s SpAARC Director, Samuel Forbes.
