Macquarie University and Gilmour Space Technologies are partnering to launch a new Australian-made thermal space imager.
Macquarie University’s Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) has signed an agreement with Gilmour Space Technologies to produce a new sovereign space technology.
As part of the effort, a team of technical specialists from AAO Macquarie will build and deliver a thermal camera payload.
“The payload will be integrated into a Gilmour Space satellite which is slated for launch in late 2023. The data collected from the thermal camera payload will allow the exploration of a new approach to collecting imaging data,” said Project Lead, Dr Lee Spitler from AAO Macquarie.
“The agreement marks an exciting new chapter for the AAO, as our team of experts can expand their skills and remits to support the growing interest in space exploration.”
“This is going to be a new Australian-made thermal space imager, which could be used for many different applications, including water quality monitoring, bushfire detection, weather monitoring, and more,” said Shaun Kenyon, the Program Manager for Satellites at Gilmour Space.
The mission will fly an all-Australian payload sensor suite and kick-start Macquarie’s participation in the NewSpace era of agile space technology development.
