Australia will fly its first zero-gravity scientific research team on a large crewed parabolic flight in October this year, following a landmark agreement between the French Space Agency CNES and The University of Western Australia. 

The partnership will see sovereign Australian experiments conducted aboard Novespace’s Airbus A310 Zero-G, the world’s largest civilian microgravity research platform.

The team, drawn from UWA’s International Space Centre, will carry an experiment designed to advance the extraction of fuel and fertiliser from off-Earth resources, a capability central to the long-term viability of human space exploration. 

The campaign comprises three zero-gravity flights, offering a total of 93 parabolic manoeuvres, each delivering up to half a minute of weightlessness, allowing the team to observe and adjust its experiment in a near zero-gravity environment.

The aircraft holds particular significance for Australian spaceflight: it is the same plane on which Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg completed her zero-gravity training during her astronaut preparation with the European Space Agency (ESA). 

International Space Centre Director Professor Danail Obreschkow said the campaign marked a defining moment for Australian space science. 

“Our zero-gravity experiments will enhance Australia’s research standing in chemical catalysis,” Professor Obreschkow said. “And strategically, this mission will pave the way for sustained access to large, crewed microgravity flights for Australian researchers, with enormous benefits to research, industry and STEM inspiration.”

Professor Obreschkow brings exceptional experience to the mission, having previously served as a mission specialist across 354 parabolic flight manoeuvres aboard the Airbus Zero-G with ESA.

Scientific lead Professor Hongqi Sun is excited about the potential opportunity to advance critical research in fuel generation.

“We are using sunlight to turn two simple gases – methane and carbon dioxide – into so-called syngas, a versatile mixture that can be used to make fuels and essential chemicals,” Professor Sun said. 

“By flying our experiment in weightlessness, we aim to understand how gravity affects this process. This could enable future astronauts to produce fuel and materials from local resources on missions to places like Mars, and help optimise chemical manufacturing on Earth.”

The early-stage experiment will assess how key processes respond across variable gravity levels, generating fundamental data to guide the development of systems capable of producing propellant and agricultural inputs from materials available in space.

Reflecting UWA’s commitment to building Australia’s next generation of researchers, the International Space Centre is offering two places on the campaign to Australian undergraduate students. 

A national competition for one of the spots is now open to undergraduates enrolled at any Australian university, offering a rare opportunity to participate in a live international microgravity campaign and gain hands-on experience in zero-gravity experimentation.

Details on how to apply for the undergraduate competition are available at: https://unihub.uwa.edu.au/students/jobs/1029278 

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