Australis Development Thread [TWI ONLY]

[Lemiria]

The goal of this thread is to develop the continent of Australis together. Geography, history, economy, and possible new story lines could all be made up here. I'll be editing this thread with a map, links to fact books, and links to nations involved.

Thanks!

[Riaan State]

a major thing I would like to propose for Australis, and i’ve already asked this several times, a regional economic and possibly political alliance. Similar to ORCA, ROS or the G4. It would be to facilitate economic relations between Australis and political cooperation

[Lemiria]

a major thing I would like to propose for Australis, and i’ve already asked this several times, a regional economic and possibly political alliance. Similar to ORCA, ROS or the G4. It would be to facilitate economic relations between Australis and political cooperation

Alliance may be a strong word. Maybe associations?

[Ainslie]

Hello!

One of my early ideas as a part of Australis was to write up an international organisation to serve as a baseline/basic level of collaboration and dialogue for Australan nations. I have written a draft up on that, more about that later.

Collaboration is going to be difficult, for now
I'd first like to note that I and I am sure some others here will find it difficult to collaborate with a lot of nations on the continent. This is not an in-character problem, rather it is because there are a lot of overviews that are in their early stages. The more we can read about your nation the more opportunities we have to work together and at the continental level it makes the sort of stuff we want to do a lot easier when you have a good sense of the nation from their factbooks. Overviews are a great way to do this, but a look across the continent suggests we need a lot more written on that front.

The Australan Drought
If you're looking for some collaborative history, the Australis Drought is an easy way to get involved. This project was worked on before a few of you became more settled in our part of the map, so would be good if you had a read and let us know how/if you would like to be involved.

Some quick notes I'd like to make from my reading:

• Thythe has this mentioned in their overview - Alty as an island nation this may interest you?:
  It is recorded by the !SeaPeoples! Arrivals that several natives tribes had established themselves during this time. The names of the major settlements developed by the !SeaPeoples! are commonly associated to these tribes. The !SeaPeoples! feuded with local tribal Thythians, and over centuries established multiple petty kingdoms across Thythe.
• Some observations on the continental economy at the moment: Thythe and Ainslie's economies would compete with each other in high value agriculture, whilst Biaten and Great Altera would compete in science and technology. Biaten and Ainslie may use their technical and pharmaceutical/health sectors respectively to create strong and fairly complete supply chains. Great Altera would be the major consumer electronic goods provider on the continent.
• There is a large amount of natural gas production and distribution, oil exporters are in demand on the continent.
• Hydro-electricity is popular in the south eastern zone of Australis
• Nhoor has this interesting ID requirement in his overview: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=nho ... id=1136281. I can see Ainslie doing this, Biaten would you be on board? That would make three geographically linked nations on the same kind of unique policy, would make for an interesting quirk. I could see Nueva Almeria having this too, Nueva, what do you think about implementing this?

The Forum of Australis
When a bunch of us moved to Australis, I mentioned an international organisation at least once. A new continent deserves one and the relative stability of my canon meant that it makes sense for me to write a bunch of stuff into existence that people can write off of. Hence, the FOA. I have got a draft that I will need to refine but I can sketch out the basic structure here. Could you please give your feedback on this - anything that your nation may be unsure of, or OOC what you would like to do with this? I will ask a number of questions in this section too if you could get back to us on that.

Historically I am aiming for a 1941 start date. This would be immediately after the Australis Drought, which would highlight the need for better Australan collaboration and friendship between what tends to be an isolationist collection of nations. This is a great time domestically for Ainslie to sign up to this as there is the political space (see: drought) and political will (social democrat, internationally collaborative government just voted in). Likely a good time for Biaten too because of the drought and Altera because of economic opportunities.

By way of introduction:
"The Forum of Australis is an organisation focused on political, cultural and economic collaboration across the continent of Australis. ts main goals are to amplify issues of continental concern, foster collaboration on areas of common interest and to foster a neighbourly attitude amongst governments in the area. The principles of the FOA include the promotion of human rights, the efficient and timely movement of critical resources, sustainable development, nonaggression and the cooperation and harmonisation of national policy stances. The FOA does not hold legislative power over its members but its agencies hold considerable influence over the implementation and promotion of policy positions across the continent. "

There would be two arms - the Council and the Office of the Agent-General. Both names can be changed, they are more nice enough sounding placeholder names.

The Council
The Council is considered to be the quasi-legislative component of the organisation. It passes laws that create and regulate Australis-wide agencies. Australan Declarations, which are the closest the FOA gets to passing laws, can also be created by this arm and are strictly on an opt-in basis. It has the power to pass Laws to create and regulate agencies under the oversight of the Forum and/or the Office of the Agent-General. It also can pass Declarations to encourage member-states to bring their laws into line with a common Australan position. No member-state in the Council has veto power over Laws or Declarations, however there must be a 3/4 majority of Yes votes as compared to No votes. Member-states would send ambassadors like the G4 does, they would be expected to reside in Austara (Ainslie's capital) where the Council meets.

The Office
The Office of the Agent-General oversees the Forum's agencies. The Office itself is based in Austara, Ainslie although its agencies are often headquartered elsewhere in the continent. This includes the Arbitration and Conflict Resolution Agency, which interprets Australan Laws, Australan Declarations and can otherwise be used as a means for Australan nations to resolve conflict between each other. Their main focus is the interpretation of the forum of Australis' documents however its expertise extends to environmental, trade and human rights law.

Note: I have more specifics about both of these that I'm working on a draft for, just want to get something basic out now.

The FOA would be guided by principles - known as Australan Values

• The protection of territorial integrity across the Continent and the safeguarding of its people from internal conflict,
• The shielding of the Continent from undue external influence
• The formation and articulation of Australan positions on areas of common and shared interest,
• The promotion of peace, stability, security and non aggression amongst member states, including the peaceful resolution of conflict,
• Commitment to increasing the efficient and timely movement of critical resources
• Commitment to neighbourly management of crises and external threats
• Increased economic regulatory and legal integration where feasible and desirable

These principles shape the decisions of the organisation and guide the actions of its agencies. Nations may have their membership suspended if they fall well short of these principles. This mechanism is so far untested.

This is what I've got so far - does anyone have amendment/addition suggestions?

Miscellaneous questions about the FOA

• Anyone got a good name/city that the treaty could be signed in?
• Anyone got any historical events that may cause issues for/with the FOA?
• I have not got to agencies so far, what would people like? Would anyone like to claim certain agencies to have their head office in their nation? I want the Council and the Agent-General, everything else is up for moving including ARCA.
• Anyone got better names than the Council and the Office of the Agent-General?
• Does anyone have projects/ideas for projects that the FOA could be a launching pad for - like trade agreements, security pacts etc. The FOA is not designed to do this but certainly is meant to facilitate the creation of such things?

The villians strategic challenges
Strategic challenges tend to encourage and maintain unity. Thankfully IC we have no shortage of them as Australan nations and there are some things I think we will be all similarly minded on as far as foreign policy goes. I'd imagine these positions would be largely unspoken but well-understood amongst Australan leaders and policy-makers

Hareya needs to be stable, or completely unable to do anything - Hareya is along many of our trade routes heading north. OOC they have expressed an interest to cause instability and be an in-character problem generally. My OOC view of things is that it is in the best interests of Australan states to either have them on-side, or to have them completely out of the picture in terms of the ability to exert power.

Hostility towards Klareth - The IC expression of Klareth does not seem to be too different from Wellsia, which was the former project of the same player. This means they will have a large navy, be generally hostile and also nationalist in the way they view the world. They will be a headache to the Alterans, religiously misguided to the Almerians, morally wrong to the Biatenians and are generally very irritable to the Ainslians. Better still they have a navy and are probably not afraid to use it.

Non-interference - Australan nations if they work together have the opportunity to insulate themselves to an extent from conflict and chaos elsewhere in Terrine. The invitation or permanent presence of outside powers, particularly in areas of defence and strategically important industries, would be seen as comparatively more meaningful and worthy of response than elsewhere in Terrine.

An interest in South Argus - some westward trade routes would run past South Argus. Those in the know will seek to get influence there, others may choose to pay canal fees further north. This could be an important split between the more economically developed and less economically developed nations in Australis - or those who can get favour with those in South Argus vs who don't.

comments/questions/ideas/suggestions/additions welcomed - this post is more to get things going and locked in to set Australis up and get us going in some direction as a continent.

[Nhoor]

(I will read later, just replying so that this shows up in my thread list)

[Great Altera]

Onboard with most of this in principle; a few of us have been battering around ideas for a pan-Australis organisation for a while. Lovely to see you've worked on something more concrete for us to look at.

Collaboration
Concur with Ainslie; I'll admit I still need to tweak a lot of content for Australis specific, but in general still open to pan-continental collaboration

Australan Drought
Perfect thing to hit the post 1910s/20s conflict started by Riaan. Whilst the conflict was limited in size, a post war drought would help further dampen development and fuel future tensions. As an island nation I envisioned Altera being a little less impacted; potentially trying to make the most of it by work on limited agricultural exports.

Some quick notes I'd like to make from my reading:
If people wanted a sea peoples, depending on the timeline I may be able to accommodate where possible; or we could leave it as one of the great mysteries of the continent. I too like the idea of being raided by an unknown sea peoples!
Regarding the ID; I think Altera would like to remain sovereign, but be continuously working on getting that ID system "approved" for use in Altera, and Altera's ID system in-turn being "accepted" over yonder.

The Forum of Australis
Good idea; timing might be odd. 1941 was around the time Altera joins the Imperial War; potentially shift the signing a few years? If not, I can still agree to it.
Principles and formation seem sound. Do we later want to develop a pan-Australis court/judicial system to enforce those regulations/laws? Or would it be encouraged to adopt laws/regs, but only enforced by proxy.

Anyone got a good name/city that the treaty could be signed in?
I'm in favour of something being signed elsewhere, preferably in Ainslie.

Anyone got any historical events that may cause issues for/with the FOA?
Aforementioned IW entry; nothing else springs to mind.

I have not got to agencies so far, what would people like? Would anyone like to claim certain agencies to have their head office in their nation? I want the Council and the Agent-General, everything else is up for moving including ARCA.
Any agency regarding consumer rights, laws and trading standards would be welcome in Altera.

Anyone got better names than the Council and the Office of the Agent-General?
Not sure if "better" but; Australis Roundtable? Australis Star Chamber? Office of the Executive-General?

Does anyone have projects/ideas for projects that the FOA could be a launching pad for - like trade agreements, security pacts etc. The FOA is not designed to do this but certainly is meant to facilitate the creation of such things?
Pan-continental trading standards (electronic/electricity regulation and standardisation - 240v and 3-pin plug for example, safety standards, etc), any infrastructure projects (major road/rail/air routes; water, electricity) - following the drought I sure some water regulation body would be welcome.

The villians strategic challenges
Recent Hareyan shenanigans have been highlighted by Altera in character posts and DIA reports (available on the DIA AusIntel site); any support from fellow Australans to help Hareya and friends see sense would be warmly welcome.
Whilst Altera is a WIDA member and involved in Cane Islo, it's withdrawing and the current administration is beginning to shy away from Altera being a very pro-active WIDA member internationally.

[Riaan State]

A early huge hurtle of the Forum of Australis will be when Nationalist Riaa goes insane and starts its invasions across Australis in 1942 in hopes of ruling the entire continent. They would eventually be defeated and fall into civil war, but I imagine the Forum would now have to pseudo-occupy Riaa and start integrating Riaa into Australis. I have also discussed with Altera and some others that during this time it would generally become the agreement that Riaa could no longer be trusted with a military, and was forced to heavily demilitarize (which is still the status of the modern day).

Today, Riaa would be a happily democratic and stable nation, and a source for cheap labor across all of Australis.

[Thythe]

I'm also onboard for these things and others have pointed out the issue with the Riaan in the IW.

Hareya is interesting. Me and Almeria have joined the EMCDA so at a glance this may be seen as problematic. But I think it can be argued that this favors Australis. Unanimous consent among members seems to be required or at least expected and Thythe would not tolerate Klareth or other ET members being a full member as that would marry the two's defensive arrangements. This keeps ET out of Australan affairs and separates them from EMCDA though naturally this does not prevent them from making arrangements outside of the organization. Thythe is not in the EMCDA to blatantly sabotage Hareya but continental stability is still important to Thythe and being a member allows us to at least attempt to influence EMCDA to favor the stability of the Australis region.

[Biaten]

Ave

Firstly, thanks for putting the effort into drafting this. A continental organisation as a baseline for cooperation makes a lot of sense, especially given that many Australan nations seem historically fairly isolationist, presumably as a result of not having much to base historical foreign policy on. Having something like the FOA as a forum for dialogue and coordination feels like a good starting point.

I’m definitely on board with the drought affecting Biaten. Given the country had, and still has to a degree, a prevalent agricultural sector, a continental drought would have been a major political and economic shock. It could definitely be a contributing factor to the change in government in 1936, as well as a catalyst for Biaten supporting early continental cooperation in the 1940s.

Your general economic overview lines up fairly well with how I see Biaten fitting into Australis. Competing with Great Altera in science and technology sectors while also forming supply chains with Ainslie’s health and pharmaceutical industries makes a lot of sense.

As for the National ID systems, Biaten has personal identification documents such as passports, which are attainable to any Biatenian citizen of any age, and driving licences, which are attainable to any resident age 17 or older, as well as civil registry records, but there is no universal requirement for citizens to carry identification in daily life. Police and other authorities generally require legal justification before demanding identification, typically in the context of a criminal investigation or when someone is crossing national borders, and all ID is valid throughout the whole country, and abroad depending on each nation’s criteria. For political and cultural reasons, a system like that of Nhoor’s, where individuals must be able to identify themselves within designated zones around official activity, would likely be seen as intrusive and too authoritarian, especially between the 1940s and 2010s. Although the odd aspects in Nhoor's ID system could be implemented in more recent years.

The FOA concept itself looks promising. A relatively light-touch organisation focused on coordination rather than integration seems like the right approach for a continent that historically leans toward sovereignty and independence. The 1941 founding date following the drought also works well.

[Hareya]

Hello,

With a number of states on Australis joining EMCDA and I being the person responsible for running EMCDA there is an intersection between the interests of Hareya in particular with those of the states of Australis.

I do enjoy playing the antagonist but I would like to do that in a constructive and enjoyable way. The IC interests of Hareya are to construct an international situation that is favorable to its economic and political goals which its government believes are shared goals with many other states to a great extent.

Hareya's strongest international position is going to be against military interventionism which it views as an ideological crusade on the part of a small number of states against a large number of states. Hareya views WIDA in general as a large threat due to what it perceives as aggressive military interventionism and Hareya's security policy as a result is defensively oriented for the time being. In the long term Hareya wants to roll back WIDA influence and contain the organization to the West Mesder, but it will prefer to accomplish this through making organizations like EMCDA far more profitable for states to associate with than organizations like WIDA.

Due to Hareya's opposition to military interventionism it wants to cultivate good relations with the Eastern Tripartite and its member states. Hareya is likely to have good relations with Klareth, Balnik, and mainland Lesva and these relations do not reflect the position of EMCDA as a whole which is neutrality and engagement with other organizations and outside states solely on the basis of the common interests of all EMCDA member states.

Thythe is a major trade partner of Hareya and will only become more important as EMCDA establishes itself. I think it will be a balancing act for Hareya to cultivate good relations with Klareth and Australis EMCDA members, observers, or trade partners that are opposed to Klareth at the same time. The decision making process of EMCDA is such that the organization will have to cater to the interests of each member state and this produces an environment where hugely controversial or destabilizing action is very unlikely, for Australis and for other places as well.

As far as the Imperial War on Australis goes Hareya can help whoever is on the Imperial side on that continent. If Hareya was at war with some of the states on Australis which are now members of EMCDA with it would create some interesting history and world building especially if Hareya is still viewed somewhat negatively by some people in those states or if the Hareyan Empire committed atrocities against peoples in those states during the IW.

I am open to any constructive development that helps create a fun RP story for everyone that can involve Hareya either as an antagonistic force or as something else.

[Thythe]

Hey Hareya.

I believe Riaan is working hard on the lore details so I leave posting a wall of text on the details to him but basically the war is between Riaan as the Imperialist vs Thythe, Almeria, Altera, Nhoor and Kidok. Thythe wouldn't be so naval oriented as it is today this would be a interesting interjection indeed.

[Nhoor]

Ainslie wrote:
Nhoor has this interesting ID requirement in his overview: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=nho ... id=1136281.
Do you mean the ID obligation near public buildings?

FoA: Yes. Names: The Council > The Gathering. Treaties: Nhoor has some towns and cities that don't require weird diacritical marks or odd characters, like Chur (which is also kind of pronounced like it is written, unlike e.g. Cinharda, which is pronounced Cwarda or Cuh-warda if you talk slowly). Historical events that could interfere with FoA's development: Imperial War, Riaa things...

Also interesting is the fact that Nhoor's Queen, the wife of King Elerha, is the daughter of the King of Klareth. The Nhoor King of course has no signiticant political power, so this may be a mostly domestic thing.

[Great Altera]

Going through my old dispatches and saw that the Gaeltic Trade Union dispatch was still kicking; but obviously was no longer canon since the move.

As it involved several nations that have moved here, should we revive it with Australis tweaks?
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1936758

[Nhoor]

Going through my old dispatches and saw that the Gaeltic Trade Union dispatch was still kicking; but obviously was no longer canon since the move.

As it involved several nations that have moved here, should we revive it with Australis tweaks?
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1936758

Sounds good!

[Ainslie]

Thank you for the feedback on the FOA, here's what I'm thinking from here.

• We will push back the start date to 1951. This way we can have the sluggish recovery after the war (1940s) and drought (1930s) as a reason for the creation of the FOA. The early days of the FOA could also be a means by which nations can collaborate to prevent Riaa becoming a failed state in the heart of Australis. How does this all sound?
• I will insert the Imperial War canon for Australis into the FOA factbook once it is canonised in a widespread fashion across Australan factbooks.
• I like Altera's standardisation idea, are we all keen for that? If so, I think the authority or body administering it should be based in Altera.
• We will not do the identification staff, but will seek to reduce the barriers to using various forms of popular ID and passports in each other's countries - does that work better?
• I think we will keep the Council & Office the same as per the initial draft, this would also translated into other national languages.
• Does someone want to have ARCA (the kind of judicial/regulatory enforcement body) in their nation?
• I might just keep things simple and have the founding agreement be the Treaty of Austara.

After we chat through this, I will move to canonise the FOA.

[Great Altera]

We will push back the start date to 1951. This way we can have the sluggish recovery after the war (1940s) and drought (1930s) as a reason for the creation of the FOA. The early days of the FOA could also be a means by which nations can collaborate to prevent Riaa becoming a failed state in the heart of Australis. How does this all sound?
Happy with a 1951 signing. Gives nations enough time after the IW ends to start the conversation, diplomatic and bureaucratic process to get to a position for a 1951 signing (assuming the war ends in the late 1940s)

I will insert the Imperial War canon for Australis into the FOA factbook once it is canonised in a widespread fashion across Australan factbooks.
Good call. So far not got anything concrete for Altera (considering the move) aside from some token actions against Hareya and possibly supporting a front against Riaa.

I like Altera's standardisation idea, are we all keen for that? If so, I think the authority or body administering it should be based in Altera.
Aye, I envision it establishing laws and regulations for standardisation across a number of industries; electrical and technology, pharmaceutical, agriculture, etc. It won't be a forced "You must use/have X" but a encouragement of the adoption of standardisation to enable easier trading of goods (appliances use same Wattage, minimum standards for "Organic" and "Free Range" labels, protection of region specific foods, etc).

We will not do the identification staff, but will seek to reduce the barriers to using various forms of popular ID and passports in each other's countries - does that work better?
Standards for passports and encouraged adoption of E-Passports I presume. Happy with that.

I think we will keep the Council & Office the same as per the initial draft, this would also translated into other national languages.
Okie dokie.

Does someone want to have ARCA (the kind of judicial/regulatory enforcement body) in their nation?
Don't want to be greedy, think it should be in a developed nation on the continent at least.

I might just keep things simple and have the founding agreement be the Treaty of Austara.
Perfection.

[Nhoor]

We will push back the start date to 1951. This way we can have the sluggish recovery after the war (1940s) and drought (1930s) as a reason for the creation of the FOA. The early days of the FOA could also be a means by which nations can collaborate to prevent Riaa becoming a failed state in the heart of Australis. How does this all sound?
Happy with a 1951 signing. Gives nations enough time after the IW ends to start the conversation, diplomatic and bureaucratic process to get to a position for a 1951 signing (assuming the war ends in the late 1940s)

I will insert the Imperial War canon for Australis into the FOA factbook once it is canonised in a widespread fashion across Australan factbooks.
Good call. So far not got anything concrete for Altera (considering the move) aside from some token actions against Hareya and possibly supporting a front against Riaa.

I like Altera's standardisation idea, are we all keen for that? If so, I think the authority or body administering it should be based in Altera.
Aye, I envision it establishing laws and regulations for standardisation across a number of industries; electrical and technology, pharmaceutical, agriculture, etc. It won't be a forced "You must use/have X" but a encouragement of the adoption of standardisation to enable easier trading of goods (appliances use same Wattage, minimum standards for "Organic" and "Free Range" labels, protection of region specific foods, etc).

We will not do the identification staff, but will seek to reduce the barriers to using various forms of popular ID and passports in each other's countries - does that work better?
Standards for passports and encouraged adoption of E-Passports I presume. Happy with that.

I think we will keep the Council & Office the same as per the initial draft, this would also translated into other national languages.
Okie dokie.

Does someone want to have ARCA (the kind of judicial/regulatory enforcement body) in their nation?
Don't want to be greedy, think it should be in a developed nation on the continent at least.

I might just keep things simple and have the founding agreement be the Treaty of Austara.
Perfection.

I agree. Nhoor would be willing to host the ARCA.

[Riaan State]

I don’t have an issue with anything talked about. I think it’ll be fun to have Riaa be a very sore thumb sort of nation that Australis basically has to fix for about a decade, both economically and in the Riaan political consciousness which has historically been very nationalist. Early Riaa wouldn’t be to keen to follow Alteran Standardization but starting around the 90’s we would probably be more open to it as we seek to become a cheap labor and cheap good supplier of the global market.

[Great Altera]

Something that was discussed on Discord last night/this morning pertaining to a !GPS system got a few of us thinking; some of us canonically have a !GPS system - Altera has "Segosia" which will remain a placeholder until partner nations or a new project is devised. I have some ideas for two potential timelines - one starting from an Alteran initiative and the other a multi-national effort from the offset:

Timeline A — Alteran‑Led System That Later Becomes Multinational
1970s–1980s — Foundational Space Capability
1974: Great Altera establishes the Alteran Space Research Directorate (ASRD); revamped canon of current ANSA needed.
1978: First successful domestic orbital launch (small scientific payload) aboard domestic launcher.
1984: First Alteran military communications satellite placed in GEO via domestic launcher.
1989: ASRD begins feasibility studies on satellite‑based navigation for military logistics.

1990s — Early Navigation Experiments
1992: Launch of NavTest‑1, a prototype timing satellite in AARC (Alteran-Australis Regional Constellation).
1995: Two more experimental satellites launched; limited regional coverage achieved.
1998: Alteran military adopts satellite‑aided targeting and navigation for trials.

2000s — National GNSS Programme Begins
2001: Government approves AstraNav, a 24‑satellite Alteran GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) concept.
2004: First-generation operational satellites (Block A) begin deployment.
2007: Six satellites in orbit; partial global coverage.
2009: Civilian signals opened for aviation and maritime use.

2010s — Expansion and Multinational Integration
2011: Australis neighbours express interest in interoperable navigation services.
2013: Australis Navigation Accord signed; partners agree to co-fund expansion.
2015: Second-generation satellites (Block B) launched with improved clocks and anti‑jamming.
2017: System rebranded as AstraNav‑Australis (ANA).
2019: Full 24‑satellite constellation achieved; regional augmentation satellites added.

2020s — Full Regional GNSS
2022: High‑precision service (centimetre‑level) introduced for agriculture and surveying.
2025: Australis‑wide adoption across aviation, shipping, and emergency services.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Timeline B — Multinational GNSS from the Start (Forum of Australis Initiative)
1980s–1990s — Shared Space Ambitions
1983: Forum of Australis establishes a Joint Space Cooperation Working Group.
1990: First shared satellite project: a weather satellite built by three member states.
1996: Feasibility study on a shared navigation system to reduce reliance on foreign GNSS.

2000s — Programme Launch
2001: Forum of Australis formally approves the Australis Navigation System (ANS).
2003: Member states pool funding for a shared MEO launch programme.
2005: First ANS test satellite launched via foreign launcher.
2008: Three more test satellites deployed; regional timing and positioning trials begin.

2010s — Constellation Deployment
2011: Construction of ANS ground control segment across multiple Australis nations.
2013: First operational satellites (Block 1) launched using a mix of domestic and foreign rockets.
2016: Eight satellites in orbit; partial regional coverage.
2018: Aviation authorities certify ANS for commercial air navigation.
2019: Full 18‑satellite initial operational capability achieved.

2020s — Maturation and Precision Services
2021: Second-generation satellites (Block 2) launched with encrypted military signals.
2023: Australis‑wide high‑accuracy augmentation network deployed.
2024: ANS becomes the default navigation system for maritime and logistics sectors.
2026: Third-generation satellites begin replacing early Block 1 units; lifespan extended to 15–20 years.

Everything above is an AI-expanded list of my brainstormed list with some further tweaks and improvements made; of course everything I post is not set in stone and very happy to make rewrites and further amendments as the discussion continues.

Edit: If either of these timelines are excepted or utilised as a base, I will update the former ANSA dispatch accordingly; though I'm interested in keeping the Venture I and II, Firefly as canon - with AXOIM either being AXED or made into a multi-national effort.
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1881638

[Riaan State]

Expanding slightly on your GPS stuff Altera, I think it would be interesting to have some sort of Australis Space Program by members of FOA. It likely wouldnt be capable of anything crazy ofc, like crewed moon landings, but I think would definitely be a capable agency with the combined efforts of Australis. Some missions that could have already happened may be crewed LEO (or I suppose it would be LTO, Low Terrine Orbit), uncrewed moon landings and a probe to a !Venus or !Mars analogue of Terrine's system. Some future stuff the agency could have planned may be a orbital outpost, moon sample & returns and a moon rover. Ofc a larger ultimate goal would be some sort of crewed moon landing, but that would likely be mostly speculative for now.

If anyone is interested in this idea I would be happy to get a factbook up and discuss this with you all (i am a bit of a space nerd lmao), but I dont think this would be a crazy idea if a few Australan nations pitched together.

[Great Altera]

Expanding slightly on your GPS stuff Altera, I think it would be interesting to have some sort of Australis Space Program by members of FOA. It likely wouldnt be capable of anything crazy ofc, like crewed moon landings, but I think would definitely be a capable agency with the combined efforts of Australis. Some missions that could have already happened may be crewed LEO (or I suppose it would be LTO, Low Terrine Orbit), uncrewed moon landings and a probe to a !Venus or !Mars analogue of Terrine's system. Some future stuff the agency could have planned may be a orbital outpost, moon sample & returns and a moon rover. Ofc a larger ultimate goal would be some sort of crewed moon landing, but that would likely be mostly speculative for now.

If anyone is interested in this idea I would be happy to get a factbook up and discuss this with you all (i am a bit of a space nerd lmao), but I dont think this would be a crazy idea if a few Australan nations pitched together.

Aye, whilst I'm eager to go all-in on designing my space agency with an Altera-Stronk baseline/background - I'm quite happy to work with some nations on a collaborative multi-national approach; even something akin to an early ESA if needed be.

But glad to see others taking an interest in the development of Australis; whether it's space, commercial or something else. Once I'm done on my current law lore arc, I'll re-examine ideas ideas for standardization within the FOA as we discussed early and float them here.

[Riaan State]

If im not mistaken, this is the current map of FOA members correct?

[Great Altera]

(Image)

If im not mistaken, this is the current map of FOA members correct?

Ah that looks about right ... are you thinking, High Speed Rail?

'cos I am.

[Nhoor]

(Image)

If im not mistaken, this is the current map of FOA members correct?

Ah that looks about right ... are you thinking, High Speed Rail?

'cos I am.

Now I am too. I like trains.

[Riaan State]

A lot of Australis seems rather mountainous, which could be a bit of an issue for high speed rail could it not? (Granted i’m sure high speed would do excellent in the Riaan part, since it’s basically a flat steppe for the entire length)