“Space assets primarily serve two market segments: telecommunications and Earth observation,” Dr Joni Sytsma, Chief Technology Officer at the University of Southern Queensland iLAuNCH Program told Space Connect.
At the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2025, Dr Sytsma will deep dive into the potential of dual-use innovation, addressing the role of EO and telecommunications in accelerating the future of space for military and civilian purposes.
Advancements in earth observation technology
Earth Observation serves a crucial role in gathering information about the earth’s surface, waters, and atmospheres to assess changes in the earth’s environments.
Speaking on the importance of EO technology, Dr Sytsma states that “we have seen an explosion of hyperspectral Earth observation capabilities, advanced radar systems, and extremely high-resolution visual systems, all of which are extremely useful in both civilian and military applications.”
However, Dr Sytsma predicts the industry will see a shift towards more compact and cost effective EO technologies going forward.
She explains that “due to advances in imaging technology and AI computing, the resolution and quality outputs of increasingly smaller satellites will surpass those of larger, more expensive satellites launched just a few years ago.”
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“This improved capability at a lower price and faster cadence will be game-changing in terms of accessibility for civilian use and operational utility for military use,” she said.
The telecommunications capability of satellites
Dr Sytsma said that “the telecommunications capability of satellites will extend further and more meaningfully into the civilian world, with the first noticeable impact being direct satellite-to-mobile phone communication across the country.”
“Having access to satcoms from a standard mobile phone will be a game-changer for remote communities and underserved areas, as well as provide resilience to civilian systems,” she said.
“These same capabilities leverage advances in radio technology to communicate with low-powered devices and are expected to trickle into defence, resulting in a more connected and proliferated telecommunication capability.”
In the lead up to the summit, she told Space Connect that “a very interesting emerging telecom technology is laser communication, which provides unjammable and uninterruptible communications for both defence and civilian purposes, aligning with the goals of any telecommunication technology.”
Dr Sytsma will delve deeper into emerging dual-use technologies during her session ‘space and defence: the potential for dual-use innovation’ at the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition.
Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2025
Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition will gather the sector’s most influential decision makers across the public and private sphere, hosted in partnership with Principal Partner Space Centre Australia.
To hear more from Dr Joni Sytsma about dual-use capabilities for space and defence, come along to the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition.
The summit will be held on 27 and 28 May at the ICC, Sydney.
For more information on the agenda, click here.
To see the full list of speakers, click here.
Click here to learn more about the Australian Space Summit & Exhibition.
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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