Speeches
Monday, 17 November 2025
Kids in Space Showcase
Rod and I are pleased to join you for the Kids in Space National Showcase.
It’s our pleasure to welcome you all from across Australia to the Australian Space Agency, to be part of this national final.
Congratulations on winning your state or territory competition and advancing to today's showcase.
It’s a significant achievement that reflects your dedication, your understanding of science and your creativity.
It also reflects the hard work of your teachers – thank you teachers!
To reach this point, you have spent two terms working on semester-long design projects, identifying solutions to real challenges in your communities using space technologies.
You've also learned to use 3D printers to bring your designs to life – a very useful skill.
This year has been memorable for me in terms of space-related experiences.
In June, I had the privilege of travelling to India on behalf of the South Australia Government. In India, among other engagements, I watched the launch of the Axiom-4 mission, which sent four people to the International Space Station.
In October, Rod and I attended the launch of the Ryugu asteroid exhibition here at the Australian Space Discovery Centre. You can see a sample of the asteroid under a microscope.
The spacecraft on this joint mission, run by Australia and Japan together, took 4.5 years to reach the Ryugu asteroid and come back to earth, where it landed near Woomera, in the far north of South Australia.
These moments remind me just how exciting space exploration can be, and how much opportunity exists in this field.
As you consider your future, I encourage you to think about careers in STEM and space - whether that's becoming a satellite engineer, a data scientist working with space technologies, a robotics specialist, or an aerospace engineer.
South Australia is home to a growing space industry, with companies developing satellites, working on communications technologies, and advancing research in fields like growing food in space for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
There will be many opportunities for you in these areas, and we would love to see you studying or working here in Adelaide one day, contributing to this vital industry.
I thank your teachers for their commitment to bringing this program to life in your classrooms and for accompanying you to Adelaide.
I also thank the Andy Thomas Space Foundation, with support from the Australian Space Agency and Makers Empire, for creating such an engaging program that has reached thousands of students across Australia.
I wish you all the very best for the rest of your time here in Adelaide, and for your future studies and careers.
The possibilities ahead of you are as vast as space itself!