South Australia bolsters space sector with upcoming satellite launch

South Australia is giving its space sector a boost as the SA Government partners with industry to send a locally manufactured small satellite to low Earth orbit.

The first such space project for South Australia, the SASAT1 Space Services Mission is set to strengthen the competitiveness of South Australian businesses in the small-satellite supply chain, improve state services and open opportunities for investment and future growth in the country and abroad.

SA Premier Steven Marshall said in a statement that the satellite not only helps improve state services but also “comperehensively cements South Australia as the space state.”

“To be announcing that we will embark on a flagship space mission in early 2021 to deliver progressive space-derived services to South Australia is astounding and demonstrates why our state is the national leader in space innovation,” Premier Marshall said.

“The SASAT1 Space Services Mission will deliver significant value to our state and to our local space industry as well as paving the way for growth in space-craft export, IoT sensor exports, Department of Defence and Australian Government space and defence-related projects and the South Australian supply chain,”  he said.

“The satellite will allow South Australian school students to view firsthand the vital information we gain from satellites right here in their own backyard. This is just one step in getting our next generation excited about what a career in space could mean for them,” he explained.

Premier Marshall continued that its applications include using the data and imagery collected to solve real life problems, like helping farmers monitor water levels so they can more accurately predict future yields.

The SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) will be leading the mission and application prototyping, with Adelaide-based satellite manufacturing firm Inovor Technologies designing and building the satellite and South Australian space company Myriota contracted for the Internet of Things (IoT) space services.

SmartSat CRC Chief Executive Professor Andy Koronios said the mission is evidence that the South Australian Government is working hard to build the local small satellite manufacturing supply chain and strengthen its competitiveness to transform the state into a Hi-Tech economy.

“This mission will provide opportunities for small start-up companies to use the ongoing data captured by the satellite to develop analytics applications for government and commercial use,” said Professor Koronios.

“The SASAT1 Space Services Mission positions South Australia to play an even greater role in national initiatives like water quality monitoring and bushfire mitigation,” he said.

He continued that SmartSat is incredibly excited to be providing leadership for this South Australian Government initiative and are committed to providing expertise and R&D capability to make the mission a great success.

Minister for Trade and Investment, Stephen Patterson said the SASAT1 mission cements South Australia’s position as the centrepiece of the nation’s space endeavours.

“Building on South Australia’s strong starting position in the NewSpace economy, the state is presently targeting an annual growth rate in the space sector of 5.8% over the next ten years, with expectations that the SASAT1 mission will accelerate that,” Minister Patterson said.

“The SASAT1 Space Services Mission is funded through the South Australian Government’s Economic and Business Growth Fund and we are so pleased to partner with the local space industry on a project that will drive growth, foster innovation and make us competitive on the world stage,” he said.

The SASAT1 Space Services Mission will commence in early 2021 to deliver the satellite in 15 months for launch into orbit. Under current funding, the satellite will be available for a further three years to 2025 for data collection and operations.

Source: Government of South Australia media release