The space race should not endanger Australian wildlife
October 2, 2026
Image source: Pixabay
The race to space continues, with the number of rockets launched increasing every year.
Most of these send satellites into orbit. A smaller number are for defence operations, space exploration and space tourism.
Australia has two existing rocket-launch facilities: the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland and the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.
Australian aerospace company Southern Launch, the operator of the Koonibba Test Range, has proposed a new coastal rocket-launch facility for Whalers Way on SA’s Eyre Peninsula. Over in Western Australia, the state government has thrown its support behind plans to build a spaceport across multiple sites.
Space facilities are often built in areas rich in wildlife, including many species already under threat from habitat destruction, climate change and H5N1 bird flu.
That raises the question: how can we explore space without harming ecosystems on Earth?
Who decides where rocket launchers go?
In Australia, the Australian Space Agency regulates civil space activities under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018.
A company seeking to operate a rocket-launch facility must apply for a licence, as well as permits for each launch or series of launches. Prospective operators must also receive approval under relevant federal and state environmental law.
As with other types of development, environmental groups and local residents can comment on proposals for new space facilities. The proposed Whalers Way facility would be located in a Heritage Agreement reserve, a place protected for nature in perpetuity under SA law. This has sparked widespread community opposition. Further, a ruling from the Native Vegetation Council has called the future of the project into question.
This represents a win for local residents and wildlife. However, the ruling could still be overturned by the SA government.
Where to from here?
Never before have humans built so many commercial launch facilities and sent so many rockets into space.
As this technology rapidly advances, so must our research.
Given modern rockets are much louder than cars or aeroplanes, existing information on how vehicle noise affects wildlife is not particularly relevant to rocket launches.
We urgently need new research to measure the noise and blast waves experienced by animals close to rocket launches. Studies should examine how these sounds – including those at frequencies humans can’t hear – affect the behaviour, survival and reproductive success of local species.
Research should also investigate the long-term impacts on wildlife, such as whether regular rocket launches lead to declining populations or even local extinction.
Crucially, governments must assess which sites are most suitable for new launch facilities. Whalers Way, as pointed out by local residents and conservationists, does not fall into this category. But other places, such as Koonibba or cleared coastal sites west of Ceduna, could allow Australia to grow its space ambitions while protecting precious wildlife.
This case study is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Author information
Kirsten Parris, Professor, Urban Ecology, The University of Melbourne
Hugh Possingham, Professor, Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland
Disclosure statement
Kirsten Parris has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Environmental Science Program.
Hugh Possingham receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is employed by the University of Queensland and Accounting for Nature. He sits on the Native Vegetation Council of South Australia, chairs the Advisory Council of the Environment Institute at Adelaide University, is president (pro bono) of BirdLife Australia, and an advisor (pro bono) to numerous not-for-profits and governments on environmental matters.