![Mt Stroll](https://the-riotact.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/mtstromlo-600x398.jpg)
Chief Minister Andrew Barr will position Canberra as the future hub of a national space economy at an upcoming meeting of industry ministers.
The Government had already announced $50,000 in funding to help establish a Space Research and Innovation Hub as part of a broader industry cluster at Mount Stromlo.
“I look forward to working with the Commonwealth and the other states and the Northern Territory to develop this important 21st Century industry,” he said this morning.
Mr Barr said Canberra was fast becoming the knowledge capital of Australia with one if every nine Canberrans either working or studying at one of our tertiary education institutions.
“Becoming a hub of aeronautical research and development will allow Canberra to continue attracting and retaining researchers to our city – playing to our strengths and creating more jobs,” he said. “A 2014 report valued the space economy at US$314 billion per annum with annual growth of 8 percent per annum.”
The ACT is already home to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre (a national facility for space environmental tests) and the EOS Laser Ranging Facility, which is used to track space debris for the Space Environment Research Centre.
The ACT Government has been working with key organisations such as ANU, UNSW Canberra and EOS Space Systems to define and project Canberra’s potential, Mr Barr said.