Space Resources – Beyond Belief by Rhonda O’Sullivan

In recent times, a new surge in space activity has been gaining momentum and fuelling a modern space race. This new race (Space 2.0) is driven by similar elements as the past: curiosity, exploration and competition, but with advancements in technology we are now well positioned to realise the space imaginings of the past. After a prolonged period of slower than anticipated progress, plans are emerging to accelerate human presence in space, deep space exploration and ultimately settlement. To achieve these goals space resources will be required to both create and maintain a new space economy. This talk will explore the governance of space resource utilisation, types of resource utilisation and their purpose and potential impacts space activities may have on Earth.

Rhonda O’Sullivan is a passionate leader in Australia’s mining sector. She is a geologist with extensive experience ranging from mineral exploration to large scale underground mining and processing. She is an active member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusMIM), of which she chaired the North Queensland branch for three years.

Since graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2005 Rhonda has completed a Masters of Science (Mineral Economics) and an MBA at Curtin University. In 2018, she attended the Space Studies Program at the International Space University hosted in the Netherlands by TU Delft, Leiden University and returned in 2019 as a volunteer. She was a tiger team member in 2018-2019 for the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group. Rhonda is applying her knowledge of geology and mining beyond Earth, to the field of space based resource exploration and recovery.