CUAVA-2, Kanyini, and Waratah Seed lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California On Friday at 2:56pm EDT local time.
The Waratah Seed Space Qualification Mission is a NSW government-funded space-flight qualification initiative delivered by the University of Sydney. It is carrying tech from five competition-winning NSW space start-ups as well as technology from commercial clients.
Kanyini, meanwhile, is South Australia’s bushfire-detecting satellite, a collaboration between the SA state government, SmartSat CRC, satellite manufacturer Inovor Technologies, and global IoT provider Myriota.
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Its payload includes a hyperspectral imager – a device that analyses the composition of materials on Earth from space. It will be used to detect information beyond the visible eye, including analysing vegetation and soil to a granular degree and detecting bushfire smoke.
Finally, CUAVA-2 is the second iteration of the CUAVA organisation’s CubeSat program. CUAVA, as an organisation, is the Australian Research Council’s training centre for CubeSats, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their applications.
Like Kanyini, CUAVA-2 will carry a hyperspectral imager developed by the Space Photonics Group at Sydney University as well as a GPS reflectometry payload developed by the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research at the UNSW.
Iver Cairns, professor in space physics and director of the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA), confirmed the successful launch of the CUAVA-2 and Waratah Seed CubeSats. “Both satellites are alive and well and communicating with us,” he posted on social media. “Our focus now shifts to commissioning the satellites and accomplishing active communications. We envision this taking one month.”
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Stephen Mullighan, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, said: “The launch of Kanyini is a significant milestone and pivotal step forward for South Australia’s space sector, setting us up for further success on a global stage. We are excited for Kanyini to unlock more opportunities for research and development of innovative, sovereign Australian space technologies. This project will also inspire talented Australians to pursue a career in the space industry as engineers and future space leaders.”
SmartSat CRC chief executive officer Andy Koronios said, “The state’s small satellite, Kanyini, has taken a giant leap for South Australia’s space sector. The Kanyini mission is not just about sending a satellite into space; it’s about building South Australia’s capabilities and contributing valuable data for applications that enhance our lives here in South Australia. We have now realised our mission of seeing homegrown South Australian space technologies launched into low-Earth orbit. The coming months will be crucial as the team works to fully operationalise Kanyini and begin reaping the benefits of its data-gathering capabilities.”
Inovor chief executive officer Dr Matt Tetlow said, “Putting anything into space is an extraordinary feat, and the success of this launch of the Kanyini satellite is an excellent achievement, not only for the Kanyini team, including Inovor, but also for the South Australian space sector as a whole. The collaborative effort from the whole mission team, including SmartSat CRC and Myriota, as well as the support from the South Australian government, has been critical for the success of Kanyini.”
Transporter-11 was the 12th flight for the first-stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SDA-0A, SARah-2, and nine Starlink missions.
Onboard the latest was 116 payloads, including CubeSats, MicroSats, and an orbital transfer vehicle carrying eight of those payloads, five of which will be deployed at a later time.
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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