Melbourne aerospace researchers at RMIT are working with leaders of the Russian space industry to build two space centres in Australia.

 

The proposed joint Russian-Australian venture would involve a space mission control centre and a near earth object space observation centre to track asteroids in the southern hemisphere.

 

RMIT University's Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering, Lachlan Thompson, hopes the centres can be built in Victoria.

 

"The Russians have all the equipment. They've got an equivalent facility already in Russia that works very well," he said.

 

"It's similar to what the Americans use in the United States and the European Space Agency uses in Spain. So the technology is there ready to go off the shelf."

 

Thompson is speaking at this week's 14th annual Australian International Aerospace Congress in Melbourne, where talks on the project will continue.