SA government satellite booked for ride to space

IoT satellite developer Myriota has announced an agreement with ISILAUNCH to send South Australian government satellite Kanyini into orbit on board a SpaceX Transporter rocket mission in 2023.

Under the Launch Services Agreement, Kanyini, the first satellite developed by an Australian state government, will be sent into low Earth orbit.

The home-grown satellite, named after a Pitjantjatjara term describing the ‘principle of responsibility and unconditional love for all of creation’, will boost bushfire preparedness, response and resilience, as well as monitoring inland and coastal water quality.

The spacecraft is being designed and built by Myriota, Inovor Technologies, the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre and the South Australian government.

CTO of Myriota Dr David Haley said: “This is an exciting next step for this ground-breaking South Australian space services mission which is set to benefit the State when it launches next year.”

The IoT payload will add to the Myriota Network, communicating with devices and sensors on the Earth’s surface to provide access to critical data.

SmartSat has factored the data collected by Kanyini and the HyperScout 2 miniaturized hyperspectral imager into a number of projects which will drive research and build experience in operating Earth observation payloads in space.

Real-time data will be used to monitor potentially hazardous conditions specific to Australia’s eucalypt-dominant bushland, including smoke detection.

South Australian Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close said: “South Australia is leading the charge in accelerating innovation and growth in the space sector and this mission presents an important opportunity for local industry to play a key role in furthering our national endeavours to build sovereign EO capability, provide secure access to data from space and expand our satellite design and manufacturing expertise.”

This week, Myriota and ISILAUNCH, along with Inovor Technologies, SmartSat and the SA government are present at the bi-annual Australian Space Forum event held in Adelaide.

Picture: Myriota