SDA is essential for monitoring the space environment, tracking known and unknown objects, and assessing potential threats. As space becomes an increasingly contested domain, maintaining robust SDA capabilities is vital for command and control operations in orbit.
Space Machines Company, an Australian on-orbit servicing (OOS) specialist, leads this initiative to create a robotic testbed for proximity operations. The project will focus on space-borne perception and intelligence applicable to OOS, Space Control, and space-based SDA (SBSDA) operations.
This endeavor will enhance the ability of host spacecraft to interpret their surroundings, identify objects, perform rendezvous and proximity maneuvers, and execute co-orbital Space Control tasks. Additionally, it will involve the construction of a state-of-the-art orbital robotics testbed to develop and validate payload prototypes under operational conditions.
Mark Ramsey, project lead at Space Machines Company, emphasized the importance of the project: "The technology developed in the project underpins a range of proximity operations and servicing applications such as high-resolution inspection, satellite servicing, space control, and space debris management, that help safeguard space assets on-orbit."
The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Sentient Satellites Laboratory at the University of Adelaide, Scarlet Lab (a SmartSat CRC initiative), and the Space Control STC at Defence Science Technology Group. The project aims to foster partnerships between defense, industry, and academia while serving as a hub for SBSDA research.
Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin, the project's technical lead from the University of Adelaide, highlighted the significance of the initiative: "Currently, there is a lack of mature technologies that provide space-borne perception, and there are no orbital robotics testbeds in Australia. This project directly addresses this technical gap, which will greatly benefit the space industry."
Given Australia's reliance on space technology for national security and economic growth, the country is advancing its sovereign space capabilities. The project aligns with Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIPs), focusing on the development of autonomous systems, battlespace awareness technologies, and system assurance measures.
Additionally, this project complements Space Machines Company's upcoming SPACE MAITRI mission, scheduled for launch in 2026, which aims to pioneer new on-orbit debris management solutions.
Related Links
Space Machines Company
Space Technology News - Applications and Research
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