Lift off for three Australian satellites on Space-X rocket

Three Australian made satellites were launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-11 Mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3.30 ACST this morning.

The launch on a Falcon rocket is a milestone for the Australian space sector with satellites Kanyini, Waratah Seed, and Cuava-2 now ready to be deployed into orbit

Kanyini is the first State Government-funded satellite in the nation and was built by a team of South Australian companies including SmartSat CRC, Inovor and Myriota.

Inovor chief executive officer Dr Matt Tetlow said: “Putting anything into space is an extraordinary feat, and the success of this launch of the Kanyini satellite is an excellent achievement, not only for the Kanyini team, including Inovor, but also for the South Australian space sector as a whole.

“The collaborative effort from the whole mission team, including SmartSat CRC and Myriota, as well as the support from the South Australian Government, has been critical for the success of Kanyini.”

Now that Kanyini is in orbit, the next milestone for the project is to establish stable communications through an operations centre located at Inovor Technologies at the Lot Fourteen innovation precinct in Adelaide.

Once fully commissioned, Kanyini will deliver critical space data for use by government and research institutions, particularly in the areas of sustainability and climate impacts.

Research to be undertaken by Kanyini include early bushfire detection and a programme – led by South Australian Department for Environment and Water and Greening Adelaide – to sense urban heat islands in the state.

Data collected by Kanyini will also be used to develop AI capabilities that can accurately predict natural disaster events such as landslides and flooding, being led by Queensland University of Technology and European Space Agency Phi-Lab.

Picture: SpaceX/Transporter-11 lift off