The SpIRIT spacecraft, short for Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal, was led by researchers at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency, with funding support from the Australian Space Agency.
The shoebox-sized satellite, weighing just 11.5 kilograms, was backed by a AU$7 million investment from the Australian Space Agency and ultimately exceeded its original two-year design life.
Over 25 months in orbit, SpIRIT completed roughly 16,000 circuits of Earth, travelling an estimated 690 million kilometres, roughly equivalent to the distance between Earth and Jupiter.
Despite its small size, the mission delivered a major technological achievement for Australia, successfully demonstrating a range of Australian-designed spacecraft technologies in orbit while advancing high-performance autonomous operations, communications and thermal management systems.
The satellite was built through a national consortium of Australian companies and research partners. Inovor Technologies provided the satellite bus, while Neumann Space supplied its solid metal-fuelled Neumann Drive electric propulsion system. Nova Systems supported operations through its Autonomous Intelligent Ground Station and SITAEL Australia contributed systems engineering expertise.
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, said the mission had created invaluable space heritage for cutting-edge Australian technology.
“SpIRIT has demonstrated what Australian innovation can deliver in orbit while strengthening our reputation as a trusted international partner for complex space missions,” Palermo said.
Beyond technology demonstrations, the mission also enabled cutting-edge astrophysics research. Using the HERMES instrument developed by the Italian Space Agency and its scientific partners, the satellite collected gamma and X-ray data to study some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe.
In the final months of 2025, SpIRIT gathered more than 180 hours of X-ray observations, helping scientists investigate gamma-ray bursts, powerful explosions that occur when massive stars collapse or when neutron stars merge.
However, in January 2026, the spacecraft began experiencing platform anomalies and communication with the satellite became intermittent. After careful assessment, mission operators determined that reliable contact was unlikely to be restored and formally concluded the spacecraft’s operational phase.
The satellite is now expected to gradually lose altitude and burn up harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere around August 2026, leaving no orbital debris.
Mission lead Roberto Trenti said the final phase of the mission remained highly productive: “The final months of operations were extremely valuable, with the payload operating close to full capability and several scientific and technical papers now in preparation.”
Researchers at the University of Melbourne are now analysing and archiving the mission’s data for the global scientific community.
The technologies, partnerships and expertise developed through SpIRIT are expected to inform the next generation of Australian space capabilities from advanced remote sensing satellites to autonomous edge computing systems operating directly in orbit.