University of Sydney satellites launching Australia’s space sector to new heights

Two satellites that are the result of successful collaborations between the University of Sydney and industry and government partners were launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Transporter-11, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4:56 am (AEST) on Saturday 17 August (11:56 am on 16 August, California local time, US).

Both satellite missions are led by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs & Their Applications (CUAVA) and the University of Sydney. The two small satellites (CubeSats) − the Waratah Seed-1 and the CUAVA-2 – were deployed carrying payloads that aim to expand NSW’s space tech and research capabilities, demonstrate new space technologies and gain a better understanding of the space environment.

Two satellites that are the result of successful collaborations between the University of Sydney and industry and government partners were launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Transporter-11, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4:56 am (AEST) on Saturday 17 August (11:56 am on 16 August, California local time, US).

Both satellite missions are led by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs & Their Applications (CUAVA) and the University of Sydney. The two small satellites (CubeSats) − the Waratah Seed-1 and the CUAVA-2 – were deployed carrying payloads that aim to expand NSW’s space tech and research capabilities, demonstrate new space technologies and gain a better understanding of the space environment.

The nine payloads on board the Waratah Seed-1 include advanced solar cells, space edge computing, robot-arm tech and a bio-materials experiment from five competition-winning NSW space start-ups. The eight payloads riding aboard CUAVA-2 include a global navigational satellite system, a hyperspectral imager, an electron density and debris instrument, a tester for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, a radiation counter and an electropermanent magnetorquer.

The Waratah Seed-1’s mission has been supported by the NSW Government, SmartSat CRC, ACSER, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Macquarie University, Delta-V  and Saber Astronautics. Clients and payload providers of the mission include Dandelions, Euroka Power, Extraterrestrial Power, Sperospace/Contactile, Spiral Blue, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and UTS/Mawson Rovers. 

The CUAVA-2 satellite’s mission has been made possible by the ARC and supported by UNSW, Macquarie University, Arbor Carbon, HyVista, Saber, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Department of Defence and RIT.  

Dedicated technical teams from the Faculty of Science’s School of Physics (responsible for developing the hyperspectral imager that will provide a technology demonstration and data for applications across agriculture and forestry, coastal and marine environments, urban areas, water hazard and mineral exploration) and the Faculty of Engineering’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering (who developed the electropermanent magnetorquer) have been pivotal in the development and delivery of the satellite missions.

“Congratulations and thank you to the many team members and partners that have made this possible,” said space scientist Professor Iver Cairns, the director of both the Waratah Seed ride-share satellite Consortium and CUAVA. “Particular attention should go to Xueliang Bai, Patrick Oppel, Ignatius Rivaldi, Youngho Eun, Reign MacMillan, Thalia Kemp and Robert Steel [Research Administration Manager].

“I particularly acknowledge the funding and help provided by the Faculty of Science and the Provost for this successful launch.” 

The payloads started sending back telemetry on day one and will now spend several months in space gathering vital information to transmit back to Earth to help develop further leaps in space technology.