SpaceHack 2023: To infinity and beyond
The third annual two day SpaceHack commenced on the 17th of October. SpaceHack is a hack-a-thon held by CBRIN and sponsored by UNSW Canberra. With $10,000 worth of prize money up for grabs, six eager teams ramped up their ideas with help from 15 mentors. The majority of the mentors being from the local and surrounding areas of Canberra, and all of them having careers in space focused areas.
Kelly Cruz from CBRIN was running the event. It’s a great way to bring the sector together. “Broadening the community is a huge focus for both CBRIN and UNSW” Cruz states. “It’s a quick way to bring external groups inside the space sector into one room. I think it’s something we’re going to hear a lot more of. There is too much power among only a few. This is why we need new ideas”.
Image supplied by CBRIN
Lunar Orbiter was a team of 3 ANU third years. Lea Fallen, Lucy Roberts and Enling Liao took home second place and price money amount of $2500. Their idea included creating an online simulation which assesses the potential risk of cyberattacks for new attacks. Their concept ‘SatAssess’ will also create an optimal design plan for each subsystems using components from local Australian suppliers.
Lunar Orbiter didn’t prepare an idea beforehand. “They guide you through it, and give you all the tools you need to develop an idea” Roberts said.
Image supplied by CBRIN
With the help of the mentors, the participants are getting experience pitching and working as a team under time pressure. “The mentors are open to connecting and mentoring in the future. All up to the participant if they take the initiative”.
$10,000 was up for grabs and the judges generously gave some to every team. Every group went home with $250, and the winners got $5000. ‘Vadar’ achieved first place with the idea of creating a space-centric cyber security insurance company that brings the current industry of space insurance and cyber security insurance together.
Lunar Orbiter, Image supplied by CBRIN
The teams third SpaceHack. They would rate it highly. “10/10. It’s always a great experience, we always learn a lot, and grow a lot from the experience. It’s inherently challenging, it challenges you with the deadlines. Talking to the mentors helps so much. Explaining your idea over and over is the best way to get a proper idea of it. Hearing the feedback you rapidly start to see your idea develop. It’s a really great system that they have here” stated Roberts.
Sx10, Image supplied by CBRIN
The third annual SpaceHack went very well. Check the CBRIN website for any further details.
Canberra Innovation Network - Empowering Entrepreneurs (cbrin.com.au)
Third place and $1500 was awarded to Ting Wang, Scott Suter, Connor Kneebone and Nicholas Mobbs of Sx10. With the idea of creating an all-in-one access management platform that integrates with existing access solutions.
Like Lunar Orbiter, their idea was created on the course. “We came up with the idea in the first session, the ideation workshop. The idea was linked back to what we do professionally but take it to a new avenue. Explore the specific space theme of the event.” Said Kneebone. “Taking some of our expertise in what we do everyday and apply it to the space industry in a slightly different way.” Suter added.
Kneebone continued “It’s a hack-a-thon you’re always playing catchup with your own ideas” regarding their pitch. “We had a rough idea of our pitch from about lunch time today. Reading the audience will change it a bit”
