Production on Victoria’s 25 new six-car X’Trapolis 2.0 has begun at Alstom’s Ballarat factory, the state government has announced, ahead of entry into service on the Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines. According to a statement from public service minister Gabrielle Williams on Tuesday, the build is supporting up to 150 jobs directly in Ballarat, and…
Monash University spin-out Kite Magnetics and Canadian wooden and composite kit aircraft company CKD Aero have unveiled the new Dakota e-Hawk (pictured), which they claim is “the world’s most cost-effective two-seat electric aircraft”. A statement this week from the two companies said the Dakota would be “first in a series of kit aircraft” made by…
Auckland, New Zealand based Frond Space Systems and Gold Coast rocket manufacturer Gilmour Space Technologies have signed a contract to supply a dragsail system for Gilmour Space’s MMS-1 satellite mission. Frond, which specialises in deployable space technology will provide a MICRO dragsail system, a lightweight and compact device that can be deployed at the end…
By Adam Gilmour There is a space treaty being proposed in Parliament right now that sounds innocuous, but has the potential of being the biggest speed-bump/handbrake or ‘own goal’ for the Australian space industry. Tabled in Parliament on 28 February, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the United States essentially allows US rockets…
Sydney-based aerospace company MicroTau, which has designed specialised polymer riblet films for aircraft to increase fuel efficiency, has been selected by the United States’ Department of Defense (DoD) for flight testing of its product. According to a statement from the Australian company on Friday, it was selected in response to the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU)…
Drone manufacturer and solutions provider Carbonix has flown its drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS), completing a mission with SA Power Networks inspecting 150km of powerlines in remote South Australia. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved BVLoS mission paves the way for Carbonix’s drones to inspect South Australia’s vast electricity distribution network of…
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded a $9.4 million grant to Aurizon to support the development and trial of a retrofitted 1.8 megawatt-hour battery-electric tender (BET) to power diesel-electric locomotive. According to a statement from energy minister Chris Bowen on Friday, the country’s largest rail freight hauler will partner with Alta Battery Technology,…
Atomo Diagnostics sells HIV self tests Atomo Diagnostics has secured purchasing orders from Vitaris Healthcare for $970,000 worth of Newfoundland HIV self-tests, manufactured by Atmo under the Mylan brand. The kits, which are destined for a number of low and middle-income (LMIC) countries, will be manufactured during H2 FY24. Founder and CEO John Kelly said:…
Around 9,600 tonnes of material will be diverted from landfill every year thanks to the federal and Victorian governments investing $3.4 million for six new recycling projects in Melbourne and Ballarat through the Recycling Modernisation Fund. The new and upgraded facilities will employ 38 additional staff and will sort, process and recycle used plastics and…
Drug developer Immuron’s Travelan anti-diarrhoea oral antibody product set the company share price alight this morning following positive news from clinical trials in the United States. Travelan, which is made in Melbourne and on sale through Chemist Warehouse, is a non-absorbable, safe product which is composed of anti-bacterial antibodies that boost the gut immune system.…