Defence Trailblazer, Space Machines to develop space proximity operations technology

A Defence Trailblazer collaborative project led by industry partner Space Machines Company aims to develop space-borne perception and intelligence technology for Space Domain Awareness (SDA), supported by funding from the Adelaide and Canberra-based Defence Trailblazer’s Accelerating Sovereign Industrial Capabilities (ASIC) program.

This project, led by Sydney-based Space Machines Company, which specialises in On-Orbit Servicing (OOS), aims to develop a ground-based proximity operations robotic test bed for space-borne perception and intelligence targeted at OOS, Space Control and Space-Based SDA (SBSDA) applications.

Space Machines Company will develop space-borne perception and intelligence technology that enables a host spacecraft to understand its immediate environment, characterise the objects around it, execute rendezvous and proximity operations and achieve co-orbital Space Control.

The project will also construct a state-of-the-art orbital robotics testbed to facilitate the development of payload prototypes, which will also support testing and validation of the prototypes under realistic operational profiles.

SDA refers to understanding the space environment and the objects therein, including predicting the behaviour of known and unknown objects, and determining threats. With space becoming a contested domain, SDA is crucial to enable command and control of the orbital domain.

 “The technology developed in the project underpins a range of proximity operations and servicing applications such as high-resolution inspection, satellite servicing, space control and space debris management, that help safeguard space assets on-orbit,” said Mark Ramsey, Project lead at Space Machines Company.

The project will be delivered in collaboration with Sentient Satellites Laboratory at the University of Adelaide; Scarlet Lab, a SmartSat CRC initiative; and Space Control STC at Defence Science Technology Group. It will serve as a focal point for SBSDA research and foster collaborations between defence, industry and academia.

The project’s technical lead, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin, University of Adelaide, said “Currently, there is a lack of mature technologies that provide space-borne perception, and there are no orbital robotics testbeds in Australia. This project directly addresses this technical gap, which will greatly benefit the space industry.”

With a large and sparsely populated geography, Australia is dependent on space technologies, says the Defence Trailblzer, and the nation is progressively building sovereign space capabilities. The outcomes of this project are directly aligned with the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIPs), including the development of autonomous systems, battlespace awareness systems and systems assurance.

The project will also align with the Space Machines Company-led SPACE MAITRI mission, scheduled for launch in 2026, which aims to deliver innovative on-orbit debris management solutions.