The Australian Government is supporting Black Sky Aerospace to take its innovative solid rocket motor Sovereign Manufacturing project to the next level.
Black Sky Aerospace (BSA) will share in more than $11.68 million from the latest grants under the Government’s $30 million Commercialisation Fund to deliver their work, to align with the National Space Manufacturing Priority road map.
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said through the Fund, 55 ground-breaking projects across the six National Manufacturing Priority areas have been supported so far, including 24 new grants awarded under this tranche.
“We’re already seeing the Commercialisation Fund grants helping dozens of Australian manufacturing businesses to scale up their operations, commercialise their innovations, and bring them into new Australian and international markets,” Minister Taylor said.
“Through the fund, the Government is also driving new opportunities for economic growth and job creation, by supporting businesses to undertake commercialisation activities such as further research and development, implementing new technologies to scale up operations, and broadening their opportunities for other investment.”
Federal Member for Wright, Scott Buchholz said the investment in BSA’s work would help take the project to the next level.
“BSA is a tremendous local success story, they have delivered great innovation in the rocketry, aero science space and I am always pleased to hear of their success.
“Through the commercialisation fund, BSA will receive some $497,750 in Australian Government grant funding to once again, take their research and development work to the next level.
“BSA and Blake Nikolic have put Jimboomba on the map as a locally grown business that started small and is now doing big things, I look forward to BSA continuing on this commercialisation journey, and I congratulate them for their work on such an innovative project,” Mr Buchholz said.
CEO of BSA, Blake Nikolic, welcomed the grant funding and said it will help make Australia self-sufficient for all the materials needed to make solid rocket motors for the space industry and missile propellant needed to defend Australia.
“We are incredibly grateful for this partnership with the Australian Government to help us make everything we need right here in southeast Queensland,” Mr Nikolic said.
“Previously a significant amount of the chemicals needed to make propellant had to be imported and were potentially subject to supply chain disruption. This grant will help us fix that.”
This funding supports projects within the Government’s six National Manufacturing Priorities; Medical Products, Food and Beverage, Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing, Recycling and Clean Energy, Defence, and Space.
Grants are between $100,000 and $1 million, with funding to make up no more than 50 per cent of total project costs.
The fund is administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), in collaboration with the five other Industry Growth Centres AustCyber, Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL), MTPConnect, METS Ignited and National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), and the CSIRO.
For more information on the Commercialisation Fund and other successful projects go to amgc.org.au/projects/
Media Contacts:
Minister Taylor’s office: Annabel Clunies-Ross – 0428 295 517
Mr Buchholz: Scott O’Connell – 0413 424 384
Black Sky Aerospace: James Baker – 0401 940 877
