Set for blast off in early 2028, the $50 million mission will include a specialised telescope created by HEO, while the spacecraft itself will be manufactured by Inovor Technologies and operated by Optus.
The iLAuNCH trailblazer is a partnership between academic institutions and more than 20 industry partners that aims to accelerate the development of the space manufacturing sector. Since its inception in 2022, it has already helped scores of projects.
“There are two pieces of hosted equipment confirmed. The first, led by Optus in partnership with HEO and the University of Southern Queensland, includes HEO’s new 20cm Adler Imager, a specialised space telescope designed to take high-resolution pictures of space objects, also known as non-Earth imaging,” iLAuNCH said.
“This will allow for the consortium to leverage HEO’s unique capability to provide Defence, intelligence and civil government agencies and commercial customers with critical insights into space objects.
“The second payload, to be developed by the University of South Australia with support from SmartSat CRC, will include a compact communication terminal that functions at fast speeds, using laser light (optical) to send and receive data between another satellite or a ground terminal.
“The payload will also include a more conventional radio frequency communications capability, supporting Defence Science and Technology Group’s ongoing research and development activities in optical and low-Earth orbit satellite communications.”
Inovor Technologies is a space and defence research business, based in Adelaide, best known for manufacturing satellites and satellite buses. HEO, meanwhile, specialises in “non-Earth imagery”, capturing pictures of objects in space.
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iLAuNCH added that the new project builds on work with ANU, Optus and Leonardo UK to build smaller, lower-cost laser communications ground stations.
“This $50 million project represents a huge step forward in transforming Australia’s world-class research to sovereign space capabilities for our nation,” said Darin Lovett, iLAuNCH’s executive director. “Together, we’re strengthening our national space ecosystem and driving innovation for global impact.”
The news comes after Defence launched its second Buccaneer satellite in March on SpaceX’s Transporter-13 rideshare mission.
The spacecraft aims to build on the work of the first mission and help fine-tune the performance of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).
JORN can detect objects hundreds or thousands of kilometres beyond traditional radar limits and is a crucial part of Australia’s defence.
Launched in 2017, the first Buccaneer mission, known as the Risk Mitigation Mission, was the first operated by Defence in 50 years. It aimed to lay the groundwork for the new Main Mission, which will remain in space for 12 months.
This time, though, the CubeSat will fly through JORN’s pencil beam to ensure it is the correct shape when it hits the ionosphere, a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere that reflects and modifies radio waves used for communication.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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