PRESS RELEASE: Australian private organisations join forces to bring space education outreach to Pacific Island nations

Two private Australian organisations, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation and Cambrian Defence & Space, have joined forces to bring space education outreach to Pacific Island nations, by offering
scholarships to Pacific Island nation students, to attend the Global Space Challenge 2024.

The Global Space Challenge incorporates specialists from the space community, astronauts, and prominent space leaders to solve space problems, and is available to students in years 7 and 8.

This October, a larger number of pacific island students will be attending, thanks to the teaming of One Giant Leap Australia and Cambrian Defence & Space.

The One Giant Leap Australia Foundation (One Giant Leap) is a Not-for-Profit Organisation whose purpose is to advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

Cambrian Defence & Space (Cambrian) is an Australian defence and space industry consultancy, with a focus on defence and space business development and space-based research, creating pathways to
space for microgravity research and innovative technologies.

Cambrian’s Director of Space, Tiffany Sharp, said, “Teaching younger generations about space technology applications in the Indo Pacific has flow on effects, in understanding how space can support agriculture, fisheries, climate adaptation, local economies, remote medicine and education”.

Sharp, further stated “Space education is putting the future of space technological ‘agency’ back in the hands of local communities and in return we gain a greater diversity of thought to solve complex
problems that benefit humanity.”

One Giant Leap’s Jenna McCarthy, who runs the Global Space Challenge, said “Educating youth about space and how it can assist their community today, whilst creating new education and career
pathways, is a win for these remote communities and a win for our regional space industry.”

One Giant Leap co-founder, Jackie Carpenter, said, “Our teaming with Cambrian will allow us to offer more scholarships to Pacific Island nations students, on a regular consistent basis”.

Sharp added, “We’re discussing incorporating a space challenge, tailored to the island nations on topics requested by them, such as sustainable development, space debris and sea debris problems
creating new climate adaptation technologies.”

“We look forward to learning more about Pacific Island cultural and historical links to the stars and space, such as navigation, fishing and farming”.

“The Pacific Island nations are important members of a wider regional community, and their voices are important in exploring space capability to benefit Earth”.