Fleet Space’s Centauri 6 demonstrates sovereign Defence SATCOM

Adelaide-based Fleet Space Technologies has successfully demonstrated Two-way Voice and Data (TVAD) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) for the ADF under the SmartSat CRC’s  ASCEND2LEO program which is led by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), the University of South Australia and local company Safety from Space.

Developed under a $6.4 million contract with Defence Space Command, Fleet Space’s TVAD demonstrated a full duplex satellite communications system, enabling two-way voice and data calls with the company’s recently launched Centauri-6 satellite. This marks the first use of a full duplex SATCOM system enabled by advanced microsatellite architectures in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), says Fleet Space. The company says this is a critical innovation breakthrough necessary for the development of sovereign multi-orbit space systems with resilient narrowband SATCOM capabilities.

“We understood from the outset that helping to shape the concept of this demonstration would open new innovation pathways for future resilient space-based capabilities,” said Peter Kerr, Defence & National Security Coordinator at SmartSat CRC.

The live Fleet Space TVAD demonstration, hosted by the University of South Australia, exceeded performance criteria including voice quality, reliability, and link persistence and enabled live voice and data transmission between two geographically remote users. The ability to facilitate full duplex SATCOM using reprogrammable microsatellites in LEO – delivering the experience of a two-way phone call – delivers expanded flexibility for plug and play, tactical communications to maximise mission capability across a broader range of complex operational circumstances, says Fleet Space.

“With Centauri-6, Fleet Space has established a proof-of-concept for delivering sovereign SATCOM capabilities,” said Matt Pearson, Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies. “We’re proud to pioneer this new-to-world innovation path to deliver advanced SATCOMs with reduced cost and added resilience in support of Australia’s Defence Space Strategy priorities and the expanding needs of allies and international partners around the world.”

In November 2024 Defence ‘reprioritised’ its $6.9 billion Joint Project 9102 Ph.1 which it had originally awarded to Lockheed Martin. As reported in EX² at the time of contract award, JP9102 was intended to provide the ADF with a sovereign, extensible and agile military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) system that included up to four communications satellites in Geostationary Orbit (GEO). However, with the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project’s commencement nearly a decade ago, Defence said that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would no longer meet the ADF’s strategic priorities.

Defence ceased its procurement activity with Lockheed Martin Australia for JP9102. Instead of a single orbit GEO solution, Defence has said it will prioritise a multi-orbit capability, presumably to include Low and Medium Earth Orbits (LEO and MEO), increasing resilience for the ADF. The ASCEND2LEO program could be a part of this.

“Custom waveforms operating in very low, size, weight and power applications are a critical part of enabling specialised satellite capabilities,” said Founder of Safety From Space, Dr. Mark Rice.

In March 2024, Fleet Space successfully demonstrated Push-To-Talk capabilities by reprogramming its earlier Centauri-4 satellite while in orbit. Building on this achievement, Fleet Space’s Centauri-6 satellite, launched in April on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission, was reconfigured to perform full duplex SATCOMs with a re-engineered waveform developed by Safety from Space and SmartSAT CRC, with support from the University of South Australia (UniSA) and DSTG.

ASCEND2LEO aims to develop resilient, rapidly-fielded, and flexible LEO capabilities leveraging Fleet Space’s Centauri satellites to advance tactical communications in low-connectivity environments.

Enhanced resilience, capability, and security of microsatellite-enabled narrowband SATCOM that’s optimised for rapid deployment with less upkeep is critical to build space-enabled architecture that addresses the evolving needs of Australia and its allies around the world, says Fleet Space. The company’s Centauri-6 satellite is designed for in-orbit reprogrammability with greater uplink capacity and redundancy to enable more resilient data transfer from terminals on the ground.  As well as hosting the demonstration the University of South Australia provided satellite tracking capabilities to ensure a persistent link between the two terminals.