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Letter to the Editor, The Advocate, August 2025.

CONGRATULATIONS to Aunty Sue Coleman-Haseldine, West Mallee Protection, journalist Charlotte Martin and the EP Advocate for highlighting the fact that Southern Launch DO NOT HAVE FULL CONSENT for their activities at Koonibba.

I was dumbfounded when I learned that Southern Launch had issued warnings in May to advise the Public that they were expecting space junk capsules to fall out of the sky BUT THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE THIS WAS GOING TO LAND ! 

They didn’t even know if it would crash on land or at sea. 

They issued warnings for an area from 100kms north of Ceduna to south of Streaky Bay - as we all know that is an area of over 200kms and includes National  Highway One !

What if this rubbish had fallen onto traffic on the Highway and caused a major accident or on the Ceduna Hospital or the Streaky Bay School or in a residential area onto peoples homes and caused injuries and death ? 

Am I the only person who thinks this blind acceptance is absurd ?

Research has uncovered promises been made by Southern Launch over 6 years ago to the Koonibba Community.

What progress has been made on the educational opportunities, the Astronomical Centre and Space Observatory, the significant investments and the variety of employment opportunities promised in maintenance, management and operations ?

There seems to be a lot of ambiguity around this whole situation.

Therese Pedler, Port Lincoln