The spacecraft aims to build on the work of the first mission and help fine-tune the performance of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).
JORN can detect objects hundreds or thousands of kilometres beyond traditional radar limits and is a crucial part of Australia’s defence.
“The in-orbit outcomes from Buccaneer Main Mission will inform future space-based capability for Defence, and the technology and knowledge gained will be available for Australian industry for use in developing future capabilities,” said Professor Tanya Monro, Australia’s chief defence scientist.
The cutting-edge payloads were designed by Defence Science and Technology Group, while South Australian SME Inovor developed and built the satellite bus.
Launched in 2017, the first Buccaneer mission, known as the Risk Mitigation Mission, was the first operated by Defence in 50 years. It aimed to lay the groundwork for the new Main Mission, which will remain in space for 12 months.
This time, though, the cubesat will fly through JORN’s pencil beam to ensure it is the correct shape when it hits the ionosphere, a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere that reflects and modifies radio waves used for communication.
It aims to help calibrate the radar and enhance its performance as a long-range threat detector. JORN is also used for civilian purposes, such as detecting illegal entry of people, smuggling, and unlicensed fishing.
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“The launch of the nanosatellite is a testament to the ingenuity of the Australian space industry and academia base, and demonstrates how Defence is harnessing the key expertise and facilities available on our home soil,” Professor Monro added.
SpaceX launched the Transporter-13 mission on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The mission carried 74 payloads, including cubesats, microsats, hosted payloads, a re-entry capsule, and an orbital transfer vehicle carrying a further 11 payloads.
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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