Waterloo is now home to the Wolfpack Space Hub, a new facility which will provide incubation, training, and support for space industry start-ups.
Read: Inside Waterloo’s ‘Mastery,’ Australia’s First Japanese-themed Residential Community
The specialist hub at Wellington Street is for those building space tech manufacturing companies in the space industry focused on incubation, training, and support.
Created by space services provider Saber Aeronautics in collaboration with start-up developer TCG Group, the facility has a manufacturing laboratory for space startups to rapidly prototype and experiment with flight hardware products, allowing them to quickly and safely iterate new designs for spacecraft, robotics, and satellite components, according to an announcement.
According to Saber Astronautics, Australia has been a breeding ground for new startups since 2016. Since then, the country has been producing around 30 new ventures every year, often outpacing nations overseas.
Saber Astronautics CEO Dr Jason Held said Australia used to import $4 billion each year on overseas space tech.
“Now with such strong local growth the nation saw a tremendous opportunity to build locally. This was a major contributing factor in the birth of the nation’s Space Agency,” Dr Held said.
The company’s mission is the democratisation of space, reducing barriers to space flight, and making space as easy as driving a car.
“We wanted an incubator that was by space companies for space companies, and that means a higher risk profile and familiarity with how people buy and sell in space,” explains Dr Held.
“Being a space startup in a sea of fintech and web can be a lonely experience, and having mentors that value the space industry is vital. The good news is, if we can show success, traditional investors will take notice, and there is plenty of validation to help them along the way.”
The new facility in Waterloo was made possible through commercial investors in 2021 and a $500,000 incubators grant from Entrepreneurs Australia.
At present, startup companies in the first Wolfpack Space Hub cohort include Spiral Blue, Sperospace, and Dandelion.