Australia to re-enter the space business with CubeSats

A new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre will develop a base of expertise in CubeSats and associated technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to developing Australian research strengths in these quickly evolving new industries.

Professor Iver Cairns at The University of Sydney will lead the new ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and Their Applications—which has received $4.6 million through the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre scheme and additional support from The University of New South Wales and several partner organisations, including Saber Astronautics Australia Pty Ltd and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.

The Training Centre will develop new instruments, technology and products to solve crucial problems, and develop a world-class Australian expertise in CubeSats, and UAVs to capitalise on the enormous economic potential of the new technology.

CubeSats are small satellites, about as big as a loaf of bread and weighing only a couple of kilograms. They are much faster to develop and deploy than traditional satellites which can take years to design and build and weigh thousands of kilograms. Less esoteric, but no less of a technological breakthrough, UAVs (more commonly known of as drones) also represent a paradigm shift in how technology is deployed in the sky. Together these technologies are disrupting many traditional industries in communications infrastructure and security, and represent an opportunity for Australian innovation.