SmartSat CRC has increased its investment in ACT-based space projects and R&D to more than $7 million to support the national capital’s newly announced Space Update 2023 agenda.

One of the projects to benefit from the funding boost will be the OzFuel instrument. Co-funded by SmartSat and the ACT Government, the project will bring together the Australian National University (ANU) and EOS Space Systems to deliver advanced manufacturing technologies.

The aim of the OzFuel project will be to develop intelligent infrared hyperspectral technologies for a bushfire resilience Earth Observation satellite mission. Led by the ANU and building on a previous SmartSat-funded project, Bushfire Resilience, the project will involve designing, building and validating a space-based telescope optical system with infrared sensor package to test the underpinning bushfire detection algorithms.

The result will be an ability to monitor bushfire fuel flammability from space, assisting in bushfire prevention, detection and mitigation. It will be specifically tailored to focus on Australian eucalypt coverage.

Another project to benefit from the funding increases will bring together Infinity Avionics, UNSW Canberra and Nominal Systems to develop capabilities in space-based space surveillance for managing the risks of avoiding the increasing quantity of debris and space objects in low-Earth orbit.

“Since 2020, SmartSat has demonstrated its commitment to building the ACT’s space R&D capabilities, funding over ten projects at ANU and UNSW Canberra. We are excited to support this proactive agenda laid out by the ACT government,” said SmartSat’s CEO, Professor Andy Koronios.

“This fresh round of research investment by SmartSat delivers a rapid injection to the ACT Space Update. We believe it will have a force-multiplier effect on the development of space R&D capability in the ACT and provide direct support to the ANU’s broader Earth Observation Resilience Mission with critical technology.”