New ADF space unit to ensure access to 'contested' domain of outer space

A special Space Division headquarters will be established inside the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) early next year but the Australian Defence Force has denied it wants to militarise outer space.

Assured access to space was critical to enabling Australia's defence multi-domain operations, RAAF chief Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld said.

"Defence will need capabilities that directly contribute to outcomes in space as a contested domain, however this does not mean that Defence encourages the militarisation of space," he said.

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ADF space operations will be conducted in line with international and domestic legal obligations, he added.

The Space Division HQ will be occupied with personnel from all areas within the ADF, Air Marshal Hupfeld said, "reflecting the importance of the space domain."

Air Marshal Hupfeld said the ADF was focused on space domain awareness, sovereign controlled satellite communications, space-based Earth observation and navigation.

The Federal Government has set aside $7 billion over this decade to ensure ADF's access to space, space services and geospatial information, she said.

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Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts has been selected as the inaugural Head of Defence Space Division.

She joined the RAAF in 1983 as a specialist in aerospace engineering.