MELBOURNE - Australia will invest A$150 million in its companies and technology to help US President Donald Trump's bid for a moon landing by 2024 and subsequent US missions to Mars, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said over the weekend.
Mr Morrison, visiting Nasa headquarters in Washington, said the five-year investment plan would help businesses support US automation systems, build equipment for space craft and play a role in mineral exploration.The announcement came after Mr Morrison made a state visit to the White House last Friday , with the red carpet rolled out, signalling Australia's strong ties with the United States after a period of tense relations with China.
The investment is part of a broader Australian plan to beef up its space sector, with Mr Morrison saying the government wants to triple the size of the sector to A$12 billion and create some 20,000 extra jobs by 2030. Mr Trump, when asked at a joint news conference with Mr Morrison about the US space programme, said the focus was on Mars."The moon is actually a launching pad. That's why we're stopping at the moon. I said, 'Hey, we've already done the moon. That's not so exciting'. They said, 'No, sir, it's a launching pad for Mars'. So we'll be doing the moon but we'll really be doing Mars.
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