Ryan McClenaghan moved to Australia in 2006 from his native Northern Ireland and secured millions of dollars in defence contracts in his previous role.
McClenaghan is best known for co-founding two start-up companies and working in various roles in the intervening years, including with the Australian Industry Group and Micro-X.
Peter Stevens, UniSA’s director of enterprise partnerships said, “South Australia is at the forefront of Australia’s space and defence sector, responsible for delivering a $368 billion nuclear submarine construction project for the AUKUS alliance, hosting the Australian Space Agency, and supporting more than 100 space-related companies.
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“Academia, industry and government need to work hand in hand to ensure the sector thrives, highlighting the importance of this appointment.
“Ryan and his experienced team will work closely to bridge the gap between innovation and operational efficiency as well as collaborating to develop the skills required to deliver on our commitments.”
Fleet has been named one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies, boasting clients such as Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, and Core Lithium, after pioneering tech that has allowed it to detect minerals underground.
Mining companies use the technology to both speed up the hunt for minerals and reduce costs by lowering the need for invasive land surveying.
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It comes after Space Connect reported in March how Fleet had updated the software on one of its older model Centauri satellites to enable “push to talk” (PTT) messages for the ADF.
The upgrade means personnel situated thousands of kilometres apart in remote locations will soon be able to send secure voice messages. Defence Space Command awarded Fleet a AU$6.4 million contract last year as part of the ASCEND2LEO program.
The project was supported by SmartSat CRC – a collaboration between universities and research organisations that partner with industry – and the UniSA-backed Safety from Space.
Fleet called the innovation a “major leap forward in tactical communications capabilities” and said its Centauri satellite is now the “smallest voice-capable satellite on Earth”.
“Custom waveforms are a critical part of enabling high-performing satellite capabilities,” said Dr Mark Rice, founder of Safety From Space.
“We’re excited to continue working with partners to help build secure and resilient satellite-based solutions in support of the ambitious objectives of the Australian private and public sectors.”
The live demonstration was hosted by the Defence Science & Technology Group and abided by a “strict criterion” for one-way voice transmission, including voice quality, reliability, and link persistence across “thousands of kilometres in manifold operational environments”.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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