New space education partnership for First Nations STEM students

Space education opportunities have launched into a new orbit for First Nations STEM students across Australia, as Monash Engineering's National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA) partners with the UK’s peak space research body.

The UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Monash University formally signed a partnership agreement on 2 October, expanding NISA’s international reach beyond the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to include the UK’s national space laboratory, STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL Space) in Oxfordshire.

The signing took place at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney, with representatives from Monash University, STFC, the Australian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency in attendance.

Through this new partnership, Indigenous Australian STEM students will take part in 10-week education placements at RAL Space, contributing to projects ranging from quantum technology research to camera systems used on major missions such as NASA’s PUNCH and STEREO spacecraft.

This collaboration builds on NISA’s successful partnership with NASA JPL, with six additional students from the 2025 cohort set to undertake research placements in the United States next year.

Read more about the collaboration and program here.