Lockheed Martin and STEM PUNKS Develop Inspiring Space Curriculum

Building the future of the Australian space industry starts with the education of the next generation. That’s why Lockheed Martin Australia has announced a new partnership with STEMPunks, an award-winning Australian Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education developer and provider.  

Lockheed Martin Australia, based in Canberra, is part of a global security and aerospace company that focuses on technology research, development, and design in the aerospace, defence, and civil sectors. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin Australia won a major intelligence contract to support sovereign information and communication geospatial mission systems. 

The new partnership with STEMPunks is part of Lockheed Martin Australia’s proposed JP9102 solution to deliver a next-generation sovereign military satellite communication (MILSATCOM) capability to the Australian Defence Force. This program will see STEM Punks build and deliver a 10-year space-focused curriculum that spans from high school through to university and early-career development. 

David Ball, LMA’s Regional Director for Space, welcomed STEMPunks to the JP9102 team as a reinforcement of Lockheed Martin Australia’s commitment to partnerships and sovereign space industry capability.

“Lockheed Martin Australia is very proud to be partnering with STEMPunks, an innovative Australian organisation operating at that critical interface between the education sector and Australian industry,” he said. “STEM Punks’ hands-on approach to teaching and learning, its experience developing world-class educational programs, and its access through [Lockheed Martin Australia] into Australian space industry combine to ensure a rich pipeline of talent that will be critical to Australia’s future in space,” he said.

STEMPunks’ previous educational programs include involving school students in rocket launch base design and Mars base design using the popular game ‘Minecraft’ as a virtual building tool, inspiring the next generation to pursue space careers in an interactive and engaging way. 

The program from Lockheed and STEMPunks will be conducted both face-to-face and online, rolled out to 80 schools across Australia to inspire the next generation to pursue space-focused careers. At least a quarter of these schools will represent regional and Indigenous communities. 

This new partnership between STEMPunks And Lockheed Martin will seek to define requirements for a national Space Industry STEM program at a tertiary level, and design a knowledge program for industry mentoring and skilling at the vocational level. 

STEMPunks CEO and Co-Founder Michael Holmstrom welcomed the partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia. .

“We are genuinely excited to have the opportunity to partner with Lockheed Martin Australia on this critical pursuit. The program will inspire school students to pursue STEM-focused studies at university, and better align graduates with dynamic career opportunities in Australia’s space and defence industries,” he said.

“When you consider Lockheed Martin’s global workforce includes some 60,000 engineers and scientists, the knowledge sharing opportunities this partnership represents for students are almost endless, creating national benefits in terms of successful careers and a stronger, more resilient Australian industry capability,” said Holmstrom.