
Australia is one of a handful of countries where spaceflight kits have been offered for purchase through online retailers, according to an Australian Financial Report.
The report said Australia’s launch market is one where companies are offering kits that provide everything from fuel and space equipment to software for the crew to fly.
It said the market for launch services is still in its early stages but the “spaceflight kit boom” has seen a surge in activity in recent years.
A total of 20 launches have been launched since the mid-1990s and, according a report from the Space Industry Association, a space industry body, the industry is expected to grow to more than $20 billion in 2020.
The space industry in Australia is booming, with a total of 4.5 million Australians working in the space industry, with more than 6,000 new jobs created since 2010, the space association reported.
The launch industry, which has been in free fall for decades due to low rates of funding, has seen an explosion in the number of companies offering launch services and launch services for launch vehicles in recent times.
The Association said the recent launch service boom has seen the number and scope of companies entering the market increase.
“The number of launch services companies is growing, with many launching new products in line with market demand,” the association said.
The space agency said Australia had been the world’s leading launch market, with the United States and Canada leading the way.