Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Skykraft’s Air Traffic Management satellites take off from California in June this year on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
A Canberra-based company is taking their satellites to space and notching up world first achievements in both the space industry and the global air navigation sector.
Skykraft is developing a constellation of more than 200 satellites in low-earth orbit to provide global Air Traffic Management (ATM) services from space.
These services will provide surveillance and communication capabilities for air traffic control, especially over remote or oceanic regions not covered by ground-based infrastructure.
In 2018-19 Skykraft applied for and won $1 million dollars in matched funding from the ACT Government’s Priority Investment Program (PIP). PIP grants foster innovation and collaboration between, industry, research institutions and universities to solve industry needs.
Skykraft was established in 2017 as a spin-off from The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra. Skykraft’s CEO, Dr Michael Frater, said funding early on from the ACT Government was the financial boost they needed to get things off the ground.
“The confidence from receiving the PIP funding, rather than being drip-fed small grants, created a big shift for us. It gave us the ability to build our team and focus on developing our product,” he said.
Skykraft’s recent successful trial of space-based voice communications in the Very High Frequency (VHF) aviation band demonstrated the feasibility of satellite communication directly with aircraft using existing equipment. This use of satellites in place of ground-based radio systems will allow global real-time communications between pilots and air traffic controllers for the first time.
“We are proud to have taken another step to bringing this world-first capability to market,” said Dr Michael Frater, CEO of Skykraft.
“VHF voice and data communication that covers the entire extent of an aircraft’s journey is the missing piece for Air Traffic Management and will unlock efficiency gains globally.”
Skykraft’s satellite manufacturing facility in Canberra is the centre for the design, build and operation of the more than 200 satellites that will make up the constellation providing space-based ATM services, which will commence operations in 2025.
This constellation will be maintained with a regular five-year satellite replenishment cycle. It will support a sustainable space manufacturing capability in the nation’s capital producing 40-50 satellites annually.
“Our manufacturing capability provides long-term employment for Canberrans in the advanced manufacturing sector,” Dr Frater said. “We’re also creating opportunities for companies from the Canberra region to input to the manufacturing process, with suppliers in Queanbeyan, Wodonga and Newcastle.”
In 2023, Skykraft put 10 satellites into space across two launches, more than tripling the total mass of Australian manufactured space objects ever placed in orbit.
Skykraft will continue this rapid pace as they deploy the full satellite constellation to deliver their ATM service globally.
The ACT Government’s PIP grant is currently open until 31 October 2023.
For more information visit the PIP website: act.gov.au/pip
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