6 February 2026
Brisbane, ACT — When it comes to astronomy, Australia punches above its weight across a wide range of domains – and now these capabilities will be advanced even further thanks to a new Australian Access Federation (AAF) project.
AAF will work with Astronomy Australia Limited, bringing its expertise in securing access to the world’s best research infrastructure to enable groundbreaking science, support Australian industry and innovation, and deliver impact to society.
“Australia is a world leader in astronomy research, using infrastructure like the Square Kilometre Array in the West Australian outback, the European Southern Observatory, and gravitational wave detectors in America, Europe and Japan,” says Dr Alexander Cooke, CEO at Astronomy Australia Limited.
“It’s critical our researchers are able to combine data from disparate infrastructure here in Australia and across the world, and working with AAF will help us get there.”
Setting up an incubator is the crucial foundational stage of the project.
“The AAF incubator will produce a Trust and Identity Roadmap, which will then help us build an Astronomy Data Commons,” says Dr Cooke.
An Astronomy Data Commons allows astronomers to store, manage, analyse and share massive datasets from telescopes and simulations. It’s a vital capability in multi-messenger astronomy, where different types of data are combined to create a clearer picture of cosmic events such as black hole mergers and gamma-ray bursts.
“Building enhanced capability in this way will expand Australia’s position as an astronomy leader and allow us to get the most from diverse astronomy data,” Dr Cooke says.
The Trust and Identity Roadmap will guide national coordination and uplift of identity capabilities across astronomy infrastructure and services, including identification and documentation of key architectural patterns, technologies and policy principles in Australian astronomy.
“This approach will better allow researcher mobility, enhance identity continuity and build a strong foundation of trust across astronomy communities and when using multiple observing facilities,” Dr Cooke says.
Institutions and infrastructure involved include Swinburne University of Technology, Macquarie University, Astronomy Data and Computing Services, OzSTAR Supercomputing and Data Central. Key international collaborators are USA’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, Chile’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the intergovernmental SKA Observatory’s SKA telescopes (which are located in South Africa and Australia).
Thanks to the AAF incubator, the Trust and Identity Roadmap will serve as a reference for Astronomy Australia Limited, its partner institutions, and the wider NCRIS ecosystem to guide future investments and collaborations in researcher identity infrastructure.
Media Contact:
Kerry Mora (AAF) – [email protected]
Jim Fettes (Astronomy Australia) – jim.fettes@astronomyaustralia.org.au
This initiative is made possible through the support of the Australian Government via the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
