Two 11-metre satellite dishes have recently been hoisted into place at the SouthPAN uplink and ground control centre being constructed at Awarua on New Zealand’s South Island.
The centre is one of two being built for the New Zealand and Australian governments. The first opened at Uralla, New South Wales, in December 2023.
SouthPAN is a collaboration between Geoscience Australia and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand to deliver Satellite-Based Augmentation System services to Australia, New Zealand and their maritime regions.
Lockheed Martin Australia was awarded a $1.18 billion contract In September 2022 to enhance precise positioning within the SouthPAN service areas. In December of that year, the company chose New South Wales communications specialist Av-Comm to establish a network of ground station uplink facilities for SouthPAN.
“The SouthPAN project is a key example of the collaboration necessary to advance Australia’s industrial positioning capability,” said Lockheed Martin Australia’s Regional Director for Space, David Ball, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Uralla dish.
“By working together with Av-Comm on this critical infrastructure, we’re enhancing our nation’s technological capabilities while ensuring that Australia plays a pivotal role in the global economy.”
SouthPAN will improve the accuracy of GNSS services from the current 5 to 10 metres down to as little as 10 centimetres, vital for news industries and for improving safety in some sectors such as aviation.
“We’ve come to rely on precise positioning — whether it’s using a map on your smart phone or farmers using SouthPAN to ensure seeds are sown precisely and for fertiliser and herbicides to be applied with less wastage,” said Dr Martine Woolf, Geoscience Australia’s Branch Head for the Positioning Australia program, at the Uralla event.
“That’s why improving the accuracy of our positioning services down to as little as ten centimetres is a game changer — and today’s official opening of this satellite dish brings us one step closer to achieving that.”
