In what will be perceived as a significant backflip, a ‘request for information’ to the industry for the newly titled SPA9102 includes potential plans for a “UHF band payload in a geostationary orbital slot”.
First announced in 2017, JP9102 was the project name of the $3 billion plan to create a sovereign SATCOM capability that would have reduced Australia’s reliance on other countries’ satellites.
Lockheed Martin was named “preferred tender” in April 2023 – all but guaranteeing the deal – before it was abruptly dropped, along with scores of smaller firms, in November 2024.
The federal government, though, insisted it was because multiple low-Earth orbit satellites are more secure from attacks than a single geostationary spacecraft, as planned by Lockheed. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles even suggested nations had created technology that could “literally shoot satellites out of the sky”, referring to single-satellite GEO technology.
Space Connect can now reveal the Australian government has formally released a ‘new look’ request for information (RFI) on AusTender to provide the ADF with a resilient and sovereign satellite communications (SATCOM) capability under the project name SPA9102.
SPA9102 appears to reflect a more refined and segmented approach, which could be argued would be a cheaper solution to solve an immediate need.
It arguably represents a breaking up of mission requirements, with SPA9102 intended to evolve the ADF’s existing space capabilities through targeted enhancements, rather than a wholesale procurement.
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As it stands, the RFI states, “Defence has a need for a UHF band payload in a geostationary orbital slot”, seeming to directly conflict with the earlier statements made by Marles.
It also suggests there is an urgent operational requirement, despite the earlier statements indicating that existing platforms, both solely military and dual-use, could fulfil the ADF’s short-term needs.
Furthermore, the RFI is focused on informing planning, not yet defining specific procurement parameters such as “one satellite” versus “a constellation”, leaving room for industry to propose solutions that could include:
- A standalone narrowband satellite
- A hosted payload on a multi-purpose platform,
- A distributed architecture of small/nano satellites,
- Or leveraging allied constellations with sovereign enhancements.
Regardless, the need for a “UHF band payload in a geostationary orbital slot” seems to directly conflict with the government’s previous statements.
Annexe A, for example, states that as part of the information to be provided by the respondents, “Respondents should note that ‘resiliency’ throughout this RFI refers to features to protect the communications of a single UHF satellite in geostationary orbit from EMI (Electromagnetic Interference).”
The current Request for Information (RFI) focuses specifically on narrowband SATCOM, as a discrete and separate component of Defence’s broader SATCOM architecture, marking a move away from monolithic acquisition models and towards a modular, phased development path that can adapt more flexibly to threat evolution, technological change, and Defence’s integrated force design priorities.
It should be noted that, unlike JP9102, SPA9102 is not currently a procurement activity but a market exploration effort aimed at gathering industry insights to inform future planning, rather than an immediate aim to field a complete system.
It comes after Space Connect previously reported that Lockheed Martin spent more than $300 million on the JP9102, despite the project never coming to fruition.
The revelation was contained within previously unreleased documents compiled for senators, which argued that the federal government had “no liability” to compensate any of the businesses involved.
In total, it stated that Defence spent $102 million to consult with industry and down-select potential solutions for the project, which was arguably the largest in the local space sector.
While Lockheed didn’t criticise the decision, it previously announced it had leased office space in Melbourne’s CBD and appointed a senior executive to be the deputy director. Other firms involved included Inovor Technologies, EM Solutions, Linfox, Shoal Group and Ronson Gears.
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