Research addresses major environmental, economic and social challenges.
SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC) has announced the first four new jointly funded space research projects and opened further funding opportunities in partnership with New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
The four initial research projects, commencing in August 2024, include research into monitoring methane emissions, enhancing real-time monitoring of greenhouse gases, managing free space optical communication nodes across Australia and New Zealand, improving the tracking of space objects and developing a joint AUS-NZ concept for maritime domain awareness.
Professor Andy Koronios, CEO, SmartSat CRC, said:
“These projects are a testament to our shared vision of driving innovation and developing capabilities that will not only benefit our respective countries but also contribute to global advancements in space technology.”
The partnership between SmartSat and MBIE aims to establish enduring partnerships between Australian and New Zealand researchers to create platforms for larger-scale future research collaborations, help develop talent, joint expertise and support R&D in alignment with industry and end user needs.
Additionally, the research addresses major environmental, economic and social challenges through scientific collaboration while leveraging the unique geographical advantages of Australia and New Zealand, such as the southern hemisphere location, clear skies and varied topography.
Dr Carl Seubert, Chief Research Officer, SmartSat CRC, said: added: “Initiatives such as this are essential to foster the development of space technology and amplify its impact to solve environmental, economic and social challenges on Earth.”
SmartSat has also opened a call for submissions for funding opportunities for further research activities under the program.
SmartSat CRC and MBIE are inviting proposals for collaborative six-month feasibility studies with up to AUD $100,000 for Australia-based research activities or up to NZD $100,000 for New Zealand-based research activities. This funding opportunity aims to harness complementary resources and expertise to develop innovative research and development projects in the area of Earth Observation that will drive the growth of the space industry in both countries.
Funded Projects
- Verifying MethaneSat livestock methane emission estimates in New Zealand and Australia using ground and airborne observations
University of New South Wales, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), University of Wollongong
Improving real-time monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions.
- A Feasibility Study into the Governance and Management of a Network of Free Space Optical Communication Nodes Across Australia and New Zealand
University of South Australia, University of Auckland
Addressing the technical and operational challenges of Earth-to-space optical communications.
- Supporting the SatPing initiative with Observation, Modelling, and Hardware Development
Curtin University, Nova Systems, University of Auckland
SatPing aims to enhance space situational awareness by improving the tracking of objects in Earth’s orbit.
- Monitoring the Southern Indo-Pacific from Space – The Takahē Mission
SmartSat CRC, Restore Lab
Joint AUS-NZ mission concept focusing on maritime domain awareness and the advancement of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technologies for environmental and security monitoring.
