‘Space tragic’ Daniel Joinbee’s push to increase First Nations participation in space industry

He’s embarking on uncharted territory but, as a self-described “space tragic”, Daniel Joinbee is in his element.

Joinbee, 33, owns and operates Australia’s only Indigenous space consultancy firm.

His goal: Get more First Nations people involved in the space industry.

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“Mob have been sleeping under the stars, hunting by the stars, navigating by the stars for over 60,000 years,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.

“There’s a strong cultural connection to space and I think it’s really fitting, as the space industry is going through unprecedented growth in Australia, that we have some First Nations leadership and involvement in that conversation and those opportunities.”

A proud Gunggandji man who grew up in Melbourne, Joinbee’s background is in defence aviation.

He joined the Royal Australian Air Force straight out of high school and worked as an air traffic controller, also studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Canberra while with the Australian Defence Force Academy.

He also spent two years on HMAS Canberra with the Navy.

Upon his discharge, he worked for a private security firm and then with federal government.

It was with the latter that the idea for his company, Gunggandji Aerospace, came about.

“I was doing some work on how to increase Indigenous participation in a defence program,” he said.

“As I looked around, I found there were no Indigenous companies out there showing this sort of leadership.

“Gunggandji Aerospace was created to address a professional services need and we do deliver those services to space command and Air Force headquarters.”

Joinbee wants young First Nations people to know there are opportunities in the space industry even if their interests lie outside the traditional science, technology, engineering and maths fields.

“I say this in aviation — it takes more than just two people to fly an aeroplane. It takes more than just five astronauts to get a rocket into space,” he said.

“As a space tragic, I look at what’s happening at Space X really closely, and see all the trades and opportunities there are for people to participate in the space industry.

“I observed someone recently pulling heat shields off one of the starships.

“That’s a job. That is a space job and it’s highly likely that we’re going to need to transition electricians to be space electricians, we’re going to need to transition metal fabricators to be space metal fabricators.

“There might be nuances in the work they’re doing and additional training, but we need to mobilise all Australians to consider how they’re going to participate in the future space workforce.”

Joinbee, who was recently named Indigenous Space Leader of the Year at the Australian Space Awards, says achieving his goal for Gunggandji Aerospace has its challenges in “breaking down barriers”.

“It’s been hard as an Aboriginal aerospace company trying to build credibility,” he said.

“There is no other Aboriginal aerospace consultancy in Australia. We’re the only one.

“Hopefully I’m taking all the hits for the next generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island entrepreneurs to come through and have a space start-up.”

What is National Reconciliation Week?

National Reconciliation Week is an annual event for Australians to celebrate and learn about First Nations history, culture and achievements.

The week is being held from May 27 to June 3.

To mark National Reconciliation Week, 7NEWS.com.au is taking a look at the issues impacting First National people in Australia and their stories.