Five NSW start-ups at the cutting edge of space technology are celebrating following the successful launch of the NSW Government-backed Waratah Seed – Australia’s first ride-share space mission.
The Waratah Seed-1 satellite launched at 4.56am Australian time on Saturday 17 August carrying payloads from NSW startups Euroka Power, Spiral Blue, Extraterrestrial Power, Contactile, and Dandelions to test and prove the functionality of their products in space.
The technology developed by the NSW based teams includes robotics that help repair satellites, silicon solar panel cells, technology that improves the transmission of earth imagery and natural fibres that allow spacecraft to continue to communicate during re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.
The Waratah Seed-1 satellite was developed by CUAVA, part of the University of Sydney’s space training centre, and was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The NSW payloads started sending back telemetry on day one and will now spend several months in space gathering vital information to transmit back to Earth to help develop further leaps in space technology.
The launch of Waratah Seed comes as the NSW Government and NSW Space Research Network (SRN) announce the successful recipients of $720,000 worth of grants.
The SRN’s $600,000 Pilot Research Program supports cross-disciplinary university collaboration on space technologies that address a space capability or industry challenge.
The five projects funded include the development of a solar cell that generates power in the dark, testing the agricultural potential of plant growth in space and studying new applications for signals obtained from constellations of Low Earth Orbit satellites.
The $120,000 Student Program Fund supports space-related university student projects that provide a pathway and experiences to produce the next generation of space researchers.
In total, the fund will support 196 students in 14 groups across eight universities.
Further information on the NSW Government funded Pilot Research Program and Student Program Fund can be viewed at the SRN website.
For more information on how the NSW Government supports the space industry visit Investment NSW.
Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“Every day NSW based spacetech companies are bringing us closer to the Star Trek era and this launch puts these start-ups at the forefront of this revolution.
“It’s an exciting time for the industry as the Waratah Seed-1 satellite blasts off.
“It’s taken an incredible amount of collaboration between government agencies, universities and space businesses to get to this point, and I want to acknowledge those involved for their pioneering spirit which is taking the space industry in NSW to new and exciting heights.
“Space comes with many risks and technical challenges, so getting to the point of launch is a significant achievement. The startups involved and their research partners can be incredibly proud of the progress they’ve made for the industry.
“The NSW Government is also proud to support the next generation with the Pilot Research Program and Student Program Fund – an important part of the NSW Space Research Network’s mission to build and support collaboration to grow our space capabilities.”