Catalyst: Strategic – Australia New Zealand Collaborative Space Programme

Telecommunication using coherent light has a number of advantages over using radio-frequencies. Principal of these, for most consumers, is the order of magnitude larger rates of data transmission offered by optical communications. Current ground-based telecommunication networks typically use coherent light to transmit and receive data through optical fibre. Satellites in an orbital network similarly pass data between each other using laser light. However, transmitting data between the Earth optical networks and the space optical networks is a challenge, largely owing to the disruptive effect of Earth’s atmosphere.

Several groups across Australia and New Zealand are working on overcoming the technical challenges of Earth-to-space free space optical communications (FSOC). One of these challenges is to overcome the blocking effect of clouds. A solution is to have a network of interconnected FSOC ground stations, spread across a wide longitudinal range.

Operating an international network of optical ground stations (OGSs) has a number of operational and governance challenges.

This Study will provide a report on critical aspects of the operation and governance of an Australasian network of OGS nodes that will need to be addressed by stakeholders in such a project.

Partner: University of South Australia

This project brings together a multi-institution team, across Australia and New Zealand, and between academia and industry, to support steps toward the development of the SatPing initiative. The goal of SatPing is to enhance the responsible use of space, by generating more and better information on the position and velocity of objects in Earth orbit, potentially even after decommissioning. Our team’s support for SatPing development includes a program of test observations using the passive radio frequency capability of a sensitive space situational awareness facility in South Australia, world-leading orbit determination expertise in New Zealand, and the conceptual development of options for the on-orbit devices (and ground segments) that will be critical to the SatPing initiative. 

Partner: Curtin University

Organisations in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) are actively developing technology and mission concepts for space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

This project will investigate the alignment of these efforts and develop plans for:

• a joint AUS-NZ mission concept addressing common key national priorities, with a focus on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), and
• a collaborative technology development plan that enables this innovative, space-based multi-spacecraft interferometric SAR concept

This phase A project includes:

• assessment of ANZ government stakeholder priorities and needs
• acollaborative mission analysis resulting in a joint ANZ mission concept
• aevaluation and initial research into enabling technologies for interferometric implementation, including autonomous formation flying, inter-satellite links and prototype products, and
• implementation pathways for the mission concept with risk reduction activities and intermediate technology demonstration options.

The final report will provide recommendations and stakeholder support for a Phase B collaborative work program to advance the concept and enable a joint mission.

In New Zealand, Restore Lab Limited of Wānaka leads the development of the Takahē SAR mission concept. Takahē was originally conceived to address observational gaps relative to sea ice, marine debris, ice-sheet, coastal monitoring, and search and rescue. It is being further developed into a dual-use capability that addresses NZ government needs for maritime domain security and awareness.

The Australian Bureau of Metrology developed a mission concept to address gaps in current data for disaster mapping, tropical cyclone monitoring and sea-ice charting. The DST Group have also progressed mission concepts and technology development for a wide area vessel monitoring capability that can scale to an affordable constellation for MDA. These align with the SmartSat Indo-Pacific Connector program developing technologies for situational awareness and communication across the Indian-Pacific Ocean regions.

The close alignment of these activities, and similar interests of each Nation provides the basis for this proposed collaborative mission.

Partners: Smartsat CRC

This project will expand the group of scientists collaborating on the agricultural MethaneSAT Science Programme (part of the MethaneSAT mission).

MethaneSAT Science Programme

That research sets out to demonstrate the value of new space technology to help mitigate and manage agricultural methane emissions. The team will verify estimates of livestock methane emissions from the MethaneSAT satellite in New Zealand and Australia, using ground and airborne observations.

No additional funding is being provided for New Zealand research activities. Smartsat CRC are funding the participation of Australian researchers.

More information on the project may be found on the SmartSat CRC website.

SmartSat CRC(external link)