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Space Machines Company will lead the development of space-borne space domain awareness technology as part of a Defence Trailblazer Accelerating Sovereign Industrial Capabilities (ASIC) program.
"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," said Project Technical Lead, Professor Tat-Jun of the University of Adelaide.
The project will develop space-borne perception and intelligence technology that enables a host spacecraft to understand its immediate environment, characterise the objects therein, execute rendezvous and proximity operations and achieve co-orbital Space Control. It will also construct a state-of-the-art orbital robotics testbed to facilitate the development of payload prototypes, which will also support testing and validation of the prototypes under realistic operational profiles.
"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," said Space Machines Company Project Lead, Mark Ramsey.
The project will be delivered in collaboration with Sentient Satellites Laboratory at the University of Adelaide; Scarlet Lab, a SmartSat CRC initiative; and Space Control STC at Defence Science Technology Group.