National Indigenous Space Academy

Overview

The program aims to develop and inspire First Nations high achieving STEM students through the opportunity to participate in an industry-leading internship with the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the United States of America. The opportunity empowers First Nations STEM students to grow and apply their skills and experience to the Australian space sector. In preparation for the internship, a space bootcamp will be run by Monash University. Students will receive expert mentoring while working on NASA projects such as the Trailblazer: space missions, rovers, robotics for unexplored ocean worlds, robot perception control, AI and path planning. The program will: create opportunities for First Nations STEM students to apply their skills and experience to the Australian space sector create opportunities for inclusive space-based education while receiving mentoring and exposure to industry-leading space technologies; and increase awareness of the entrepreneurial, technological, and participatory opportunities within the Australian space sectors.