Adelaide, South Australia
“Everyone at Fleet Space Technologies is proud to be part of the extraordinary ecosystem of leading companies, academic institutions and innovators that are driving South Australia’s status as a global centre of excellence in new space technology. We are delighted to mark the official opening of our expanded HQ in Adelaide, reaffirming our commitment to growing our business and creating highly-skilled jobs in South Australia. We were delighted to welcome Deputy State Premier, Susan Close MP and show her the incredible innovations that harness the power of Fleet’s satellite constellation for the betterment of everyone here in Australia and beyond.”
Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies
“South Australia is proud to be home to a thriving space ecosystem consisting of innovative companies, like Fleet, that are pushing the frontiers of smart technologies and creating new high-tech jobs for South Australians. Fleet is doing amazing work to speed up decarbonisation through its innovative ExoSphere earth scanning technology. It’s these innovations, nurtured within an ecosystem of private companies and leading academic institutions that will drive the benefits of space technology to all our citizens. Congratulations to Flavia, Matt and the team at Fleet for their successful expansion and continued growth, which is strengthening Australia’s sovereign space capability and positioning our state as a leading player in the global space market.”
Susan Close MP, Deputy Premier of South Australia
BACKGROUND
Fleet Space Technologies is delighted to mark the official opening of its extended Adelaide HQ with the visit of Susan Close MP, Deputy Premier of South Australia. Susan Close also holds the ministerial portfolios of Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Minister for Defence and Space Industries.
Fleet Space Technologies has significantly grown its presence in Adelaide to accommodate rapid growth. This includes doubling in the number of highly skilled jobs in the last six months. Fleet now employs 86 individuals across space engineering, manufacturing, commercial and operations functions. The 300 sq/m expanded HQ creates a dedicated space for commercial and operational disciplines.
This rapid expansion, placing Fleet amongst the fastest growing high-tech companies in Australia follows a number of giant leaps forward. This includes the conclusion in 2021 of an oversubscribed Series B round, valuing the company at $126million (AUD) underpinned by a group of the leading VCs and institutions in Australia and the United States.
The expansion also follows the highly successful introduction of ExoSphere, Fleet’s satellite enabled earth scanning technology for the global mineral exploration industry. It is already revolutionising the way Australian and global mineral explorers find the critical energy transition materials required to meet surging global demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs).
ExoSphere has just reported successful results from trials at Australia’s newest Lithium miner Core Lithium’s Finniss Project in the Northern Territory. This technology is being rolled out globally through collaboration with the world’s largest and most progressive explorers and is supporting the global effort to find more than $13trillion USD (as defined by the International Monetary Fund) value in these rare earth materials to support global sustainability goals.
This global success is built from a culture of innovation, executed in collaboration with South Australia’s ecosystem of leading space technology and advanced engineering companies. From its base in Adelaide, Fleet has pioneered the use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) to drive cost and production efficiencies in the manufacture of satellites. This includes Fleet’s forthcoming planned constellation of 288 microsatellites, including Alpha, which will integrate the company’s advanced beamforming technology and patented antennas to unlock greater connectivity more quickly and in more locations.
In December 2021, Fleet also announced its commitment to establishing a hyper factory in Adelaide’s landmark ‘Australian Space Park’ development. This is with the support of the South Australian Government which committed $20million (AUS) to Australia’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub. The $66million (AUS) Australian Space Park in which Fleet Space Technology will build a Hyper Factory will be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
THE RAPIDLY EMERGING AUSTRALIAN SPACE INDUSTRY
Fleet leads Australia’s rapidly growing space sector – an industry of key strategic importance to the development of the Australian economy. Indeed, the Australia Space Agency stated aim is to contribute $12billion (AUS) to the economy by 2030. This is underpinned by significant strategic support at a Federal and State level.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
FLEET SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
Fleet Space Technologies is Australia’s leading space company. It is Headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, the centre of the country’s rapidly growing space industry. Fleet also has a global presence including a US HQ in Houston Texas, the home of NASA. Fleet is rapidly expanding its satellite constellation to provide limitless data and global reach to realise the potential of millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is informed by a vision that will see Fleet deliver connectivity on the Earth, Moon and Mars in collaboration with the world’s leading space agencies and innovative companies. Customers around the world and in a multitude of sectors already trust Fleet to meet their challenges by harnessing the power of global connectivity and the most innovative technologies.
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS | FLAVIA TATA NARDINI
Flavia Tata Nardini was born and educated in Italy where she completed a Masters Degree in Space Engineering at the University La Sapienza in Rome. Her career in space started as a Propulsion Test Engineer (more commonly known as rocket science) at the European Space Agency (ESA). A stint at TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research followed before CubeSat Development at the University of Adelaide. Flavia then founded LaunchBox with Matt Pearson with a clear mission to further Australia’s space industry and engage young people in STEM careers. This led to the creation of their second venture together, Fleet Space Technologies, a leader in Australia’s rapidly growing space industry.
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS | MATT PEARSON
Matt Pearson is a proven entrepreneur with business interests that span internet ventures, new mobility technologies and his work as co-Founder of Fleet Space Technologies. At Fleet Space, his role as COO is driving the company towards its mission to realise the potential of Small Satellite technology to secure planet-wide coverage for millions of Internet of Things industrial devices. Matt was born in South Africa but settled in Sydney, Australia where he founded his first successful internet venture. Since then, he has become a major driver of Australia’s emergence as a global centre of excellence in space and advanced aerospace technologies through his roles at Fleet and as a pioneer in the emerging eVTOL sector through the creation of Airspeeder, the world’s first racing series for electric flying racing cars.
For more information about this press announcement, please contact Katie Miller, [email protected] for further information.
