WA’s Moonshot: The Inside Story Behind the Binar Space Program

WA’s Moonshot: The Inside Story Behind the Binar Space Program
Oct 21, 2022 12:30 PM
Professor Phil Bland | Planetary Scientist
WA’s Moonshot: The Inside Story Behind the Binar Space Program

Professor Bland's goal is to see Australia take its place amongst space faring nations by leading our own science missions. His presentation will cover:

  • the research of Curtin’s Space Science Technology Centre,
  • the background to the launch of the Binar-1 spacecraft in August 2021 and the development of a WA spacecraft R&D program,
  • and the future direction of the program, including a planned lunar orbiter mission to gather geophysical data for resource assessment.

Phil Bland is Professor of Planetary Science at Curtin University. He came to Curtin in 2012 on an Australian Laureate Fellowship. Previously he was director of the planetary research centre at Imperial College London. Bland established the Fireballs in the Sky outreach and citizen science program in 2013, which won the Australian Government Eureka Prize. 

 

In 2015 Bland established a partnership between NASA and Australia in planetary, space and exploration science. Curtin now formally represents the Australian planetary community to NASA. He initiated the Binar Space Program in order to develop a WA spacecraft engineering capability, and the Curtin Space Science and Technology Centre. SSTC is now the largest planetary science group in the Southern Hemisphere, flying its first spacecraft in August 2021. Six more will follow over the next 18 months.  

 

Bland has been on 7 planetary mission science teams. In 2006, Asteroid ‘1981 EW21’ was renamed ‘(6580) Philbland’ in recognition of his contributions to space and planetary science. He was named Western Australia Scientist of the Year in 2019.

 

Perth Rotary Luncheon | Professor Phil Bland | Planetary Scientist
Director of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) at Curtin University
Director of the Australia node of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

WA’s Moonshot: The Inside Story Behind the Binar Space Program

The Parmelia Hilton Hotel | 14 Mill Street St, Perth

Friday 21st October 2022

$50 per person

12:30pm for 12:45pm start till 2pm

Tickets via Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/CCZJY

You must Book via trybooking link, as it is essential we have exact attendance numbers in advance for the Hotel.

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