The State Government, which announced the scholarships at a space forum in Adelaide this afternoon, says the funding will allow five South Australians to participate in the five week, live-in summer school run by the University of South Australia and the International Space University.

Each participant will receive $10,000 to cover tuition, accommodation and meals at the Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program.

The Government has been pushing South Australia’s space industry credentials ahead of the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide in September.

The conference, billed as the world’s most important space meeting, is expected to attract 4000 delegates, making it one of the largest conferences ever held in Adelaide.

Defence Industries Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith has backed industry calls for the establishment of a national space agency, with some of its operations based in Adelaide.

He said today the scholarships would be a stepping stone for five South Australians to “get a foot in the door in the lucrative space industry”.

“There are real career pathways starting to open up for South Australians to study science, technology, engineering and maths because of the work we are doing to lay the foundations and grow industries such as space and defence,” he said.

– InDaily