Space exploration has recaptured the public imagination. The successful Artemis II mission to the Moon heralds a new era of human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since the 1970s. The United States, China and other global space powers are now racing to return to the Moon and beyond.

But what role could Australia play in this 21st century space race? What are the opportunities and challenges in outer space? And why does anything that happens up there even matter down here on Earth?

Space expert Dr Kathryn Robison, Lecturer in American Studies at the United States Studies Centre and Senior Research Fellow at the Australasian Centre for Space Governance, joined USSC Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett on the USSC Briefing Room to answer these questions.

Recommended reading:

• Harnessing Australia’s space strengths for the Alliance by Dr Kathryn Robison and Isobel Haddow