Australia Space Insights: Issue #3
Good morning and welcome to the third issue of the Australia Space Insights newsletter! This issue is almost a month overdue, so bear with me as we catch up on what has been an incredibly busy last few weeks, not just for myself but for the wider space industry in Australia!
Six Australian Satellites to Orbit!
This month has seen the launch of two batches of three satellites each from Australian companies and agencies, a milestone in its own right for any domestic space sector, but a sign of Australia's exponential acceleration in space R&D and manufacturing.
First Binar Satellite Launch since 2021
Three cubesats, developed by CSIRO and AVI Pty Ltd in Western Australia, have recently docked with the ISS. The Binar 2, 3 and 4 CubeSats will be testing radiation protection for electronics and communications systems in space, being deployed from the ISS.
Transporter-11 Bears Three More Into LEO
Also borne into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon rocket are three more Australian cubesats, the Kanyini, Waratah Seed, and CUAVA-2 missions.
Kanyini was earlier mentioned as a South Australian satellite program through SmartSat CRC , bearing both an IoT sensor from Myriota and an Earth-imaging payload.
Waratah Seed is a NSW funded ride-share satellite, carrying systems from two firms ( Mawson Rovers and Deneb Space ), two universities and two agencies; punching well above its weight for a rideshare mission.
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CUAVA-2 is another mission developed in NSW (come on, Victoria), developed at the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA) , carrying as its two main systems, a hyperspectral Imager designed by a space photonics group at the University of Sydney , and a GPS reflectometry payload developed by the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research (ACSER), UNSW Sydney .
Outstanding work from WA, SA and NSW all round!
Further AUS-US Space Cooperation to come
On the 6th of August, Australian ministers Richard Marles and Senator Penny Wong met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Maryland for the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) for 2024. It reinforced the recent Technology Safeguards Agreement coming into force, which will allow US space technology like rockets and satellites to be launched from Australia, as well as Australia's contributions to the US lunar Artemis program.
More importantly, Australia has now formally joined the United States-led Landsat Next satellite program, already building on decades of cooperation in satellite development, land imaging and launch programs.
More to come as we catch up on an accelerating industry!
Thank you for reading this second issue of Australia Space Insights. Looking forward to bringing you more updates and insights in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
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