Space Angel has welcomed its selection by the Western Australian Government as the recipient of the $1.75 million Spaceport Establishment Support Grant, announced by Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson.
Ram Kuppusamy, Space Angel Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the selection of Space Angel as the recipient of the Spaceport Grant represented an important milestone for the company and would fund the next stage of detailed work required to progress its Western Australian spaceport proposal.
“This is an important vote of confidence in the work required to determine what a commercially viable, safe and globally competitive spaceport in Western Australia could look like.
“The funding allows Space Angel to undertake the critical site assessments and develop a business case with the level of rigour that infrastructure of this scale demands.
“We are grateful to the Western Australian Government for its confidence in Space Angel and for its broader commitment to developing the State’s space industry capability.”
The Spaceport Grant forms part of the Western Australian Government’s $2 million Made in WA commitment to accelerate the development of local space industry capability.
Space Angel’s funding was awarded through an open and competitive process. In parallel, the Western Australian Government is undertaking a separate feasibility study to identify additional potential locations for spaceports across the State.
Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson said the establishment of a spaceport could create broader economic opportunities for Western Australia.
“A spaceport would help attract investment, support high-skilled jobs, and create new opportunities for Western Australian businesses to participate in the global space economy.”
Building on Western Australia’s strengths
The Western Australian Government estimates the global space launch services market already exceeds US$15 billion, with projected annual growth of approximately 15 per cent.
Mr Kuppusamy said Western Australia’s established strengths in resources, engineering, logistics, technology and major infrastructure provided a strong foundation from which to pursue opportunities in the emerging space economy.
“Western Australia has decades of experience delivering complex projects in some of the world’s most remote and demanding environments.
“That capability, supported by our engineering expertise, logistics networks, technology sector and resources supply chain, gives Western Australia a compelling foundation from which to study the development of space infrastructure.”
Space Angel will progress the grant-funded work in consultation with the Western Australian Government and in accordance with relevant planning and regulatory requirements.
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About Space Angel
Space Angel is a Perth-based space infrastructure company developing Australian capability across launch, re-entry, range and testing. Its Australis Spaceports program is being developed to support the evolving requirements of commercial, civil, defence and government space missions while leveraging Australia’s geography, technical capability and strategic position in the Indo-Pacific. Reach every orbit. Return to Australis. www.spaceangel.io
Media enquiries
Raj Aggarwal · Chief Commercial & Investment Officer, Space Angel
media@spaceangel.io · +61 433 137 213
Source: WA Government media statement, 14 August 2026 — wa.gov.au/government/media-statements
Facts Only
* Space Angel received the $1.75 million Spaceport Establishment Support Grant from the Western Australian Government.
* Stephen Dawson, Science and Innovation Minister, announced the grant selection.
* Ram Kuppusamy, Founder and CEO of Space Angel, stated the funding will support detailed work for the Western Australian spaceport proposal.
* The Spaceport Grant is part of the Western Australian Government’s $2 million Made in WA commitment to develop local space industry capability.
* The funding was awarded through an open and competitive process.
* The Western Australian Government is undertaking a separate feasibility study for additional spaceport locations.
* The government expects a spaceport to create economic opportunities, attract investment, support high-skilled jobs, and create opportunities for local businesses in the global space economy.
* Western Australia has established strengths in resources, engineering, logistics, technology, and major infrastructure.
* Mr Kuppusamy noted WA's experience delivering complex projects in remote environments provides a foundation for studying space infrastructure development.
Executive Summary
Space Angel was selected by the Western Australian Government to receive a $1.75 million Spaceport Establishment Support Grant, as announced by Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson. The funding is intended to support the next stage of detailed work for Space Angel to develop its Western Australian spaceport proposal. Ram Kuppusamy, CEO of Space Angel, noted this selection represents a vote of confidence in developing a commercially viable, safe, and globally competitive spaceport in Western Australia.
This grant is part of the Western Australian Government’s $2 million Made in WA commitment aimed at accelerating local space industry capability. The funding process was open and competitive, and the government is simultaneously conducting a separate feasibility study for additional spaceport locations across the State. Furthermore, the establishment of a spaceport is expected to generate broader economic opportunities for Western Australia by attracting investment, supporting high-skilled jobs, and increasing participation in the global space economy.
The rationale for the project draws upon Western Australia's existing strengths in resources, engineering, logistics, technology, and major infrastructure. The state possesses decades of experience managing complex projects in remote environments, which is cited as a foundation for studying space infrastructure development.
Full Take
The narrative centers on leveraging existing regional strengths—resource management, heavy industry experience, and logistical networks—as the primary justification for pursuing high-level, future-facing infrastructure development in the space sector. The transfer of public funds is framed as an investment in economic diversification and capability building rather than a pure technological venture.
A key tension exists between the specific, targeted funding for Space Angel's proposal and the broader, exploratory mandate of the separate feasibility study being conducted by the government. This creates a dynamic where a narrow project receives immediate support while a wider exploration is ongoing, which could influence how future opportunities are perceived and prioritized across the State.
The framing relies heavily on establishing Western Australia’s historical competence in remote, complex engineering projects to build credibility for a novel application in space infrastructure. The implication is that capability acquisition is achievable because foundational capabilities already exist within the region. The pattern suggests an attempt to ground speculative future growth—the global space economy—in tangible, existing regional assets.
What assumptions underlie this framing regarding the connection between historical physical infrastructure and emerging knowledge-based economies? What mechanisms ensure that the promised economic benefits translate directly into sustained investment beyond the initial grant phase?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads as a standard press release or news summary, relying on established facts and direct quotes to communicate an announcement regarding government funding for a spaceport initiative.