Defence said JP2008 was listed in 2023 due to ongoing delays, but was removed following a “major turnaround” in its progress, resulting in the station being used operationally in December.
The project aims to create an anchor point for wideband satellites used by countries including Australia and the US for various uses such as guidance systems, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
“The removal of projects from the Projects of Concern list is proof that our focused effort to get projects back on track is working,” said Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy.
JP2008 is led by Northrop Grumman Australia, which was tasked with delivering satellite ground stations at Kapooka, in Wagga Wagga, alongside a complimentary network management system.
The three large ground antennae connect to military satellites, including Optus’ C1 and the US Space Force’s Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) spacecraft.
JP2008’s removal from the list – which gives the federal government greater power to step in and manage issues – comes after the separate unlisting of a Defence air traffic management system, which recently achieved initial operational capability.
“I have now held eight Projects of Concern summits in less than three years as Minister, bringing industry and Defence together to drive better outcomes for our defence force and Australians,” said Conroy.
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“The former government only managed to hold four of these summits in nearly a decade. It’s no wonder that when we came to office, we found at least 28 projects running a combined 97 years late.”
The positive news comes months after the federal government axed the separate $3 billion “JP 9102” project to deliver a new military satellite communications capability for Australia, led by Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA).
Defence Minister Richard Marles argued days later that it was because multiple low-Earth orbit satellites are more secure from attacks than a single geostationary spacecraft, as planned by the defence prime.
However, in the weeks since the announcement, military and government figures said that the “money is still there” for a replacement.
Speaking at the MilCIS industry event in Canberra, for example, Air Commodore Peter Thompson – one of the most senior figures involved in Defence space capability – said that JP9102 had changed because the threat from adversaries had altered.
“Defence isn’t going to waste money on something that is no longer the best use of our money that we’ve got,” he said.
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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