Inovor Technologies is blending sovereign design with global partnerships to redefine Australia’s satellite manufacturing capability.
From the outset, the story of Inovor Technologies has been inseparable from the ambitions of its founder, Dr Matthew Tetlow. His journey into the space sector began at the University of Adelaide, where he studied mechanical engineering. At the time, the university had just introduced one of the first space courses in South Australia, and that opportunity lit the spark for what would later become a career dedicated to advancing Australia’s presence in orbit. But the path was not straightforward, as the country’s space industry was still in its infancy.
Tetlow recalls his early frustrations in trying to build research projects and push into the sector. At that stage, there was little infrastructure or commercial appetite in Australia to support such ambitions, forcing him to think differently. Instead of waiting for the industry to develop, he decided to create his own pathway by founding a company dedicated to delivering satellite technology.
“I was one of the first to do a space course in South Australia, studying mechanical engineering at Adelaide University. That sparked my interest in the space industry,” he said. “I tried several times to get R&D projects off the ground, but I decided that if I wanted to work in space, I would have to start my own company.”
That leap of faith has since grown into an enterprise headquartered at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide’s high-tech innovation precinct. Today, Inovor employs around 60 people and operates from a 1,000-square-metre facility designed for scalable advanced manufacturing. For Tetlow, this expansion represents the building of Australia’s sovereign capability in one of the world’s most strategically important sectors.
Even the name of the business reflects this spirit of innovation. Tetlow wanted something that embodied freshness and technological advancement while also being meaningful on a personal level.
“It’s a bit of a play on words around innovation. The Latin word for ‘fresh and new’ is Novus, and I wanted something that captured innovation and new technologies,” Tetlow explains.
Early successes
From these beginnings, Inovor has grown into a company with two clear divisions: Defence, which develops advanced electronic warfare technology, and its satellite business, which has quickly built a reputation for reliable missions in orbit. The defence arm’s expertise in air and maritime systems is now being applied to space, creating new dual-use technologies with strong strategic value.
The first missions saw payloads designed for fields ranging from agriculture and life sciences to astrophysics and imaging. These initial flights were proof not only of the company’s engineering capability but also of its ability to integrate international payloads and work across scientific and defence communities.
“We’ve had three satellites in orbit, three from three successes, which is unprecedented in Australia. The first two are scientific and community-focused, with payloads for astrophysics research, agriculture, life sciences, and imaging,” Tetlow explains.
One of those early missions, the Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) nanosatellite, demonstrated the collaborative power of international partnerships. Built with the University of Melbourne, the Italian Space Agency and partners such as Neumann Space, Nova Systems and Sitael Australia, it launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in November 2024. The 30cm satellite carries the HERMES x-ray detector to detect gamma rays, University of Melbourne instruments for thermal management, and an ion propulsion system supplied locally. It was also the first Australian satellite funded by the Australian Space Agency to host an international payload.
“SpIRIT was very much aimed at the space agency side,” Tetlow notes. “The scientific satellites are designed to detect gamma ray bursts from distant galaxies. It was about contributing to the global science community while demonstrating the strength of our bus technology.”
Another milestone mission was Kanyini, Australia’s first state-funded satellite, by the South Australian Government which launched in August 2024. Built at Lot Fourteen by Inovor, it carried a hyperspectral imager and an Internet-of-Things payload developed by local SME Myriota. By early 2025, it had captured more than 50 images for government partners before experiencing a radiation anomaly that limited some payload operations. Despite this, the project marked an important achievement for the state, embedding South Australia into the global space heritage map and engaging the community in the Pitjantjatjara principle of “Kanyini” – responsibility and unconditional care.
“Kanyini was a milestone not just for us but for the state as a whole,” Tetlow said. “It demonstrated our ability to design, manufacture and operate a satellite entirely in South Australia and reflected the importance of involving the community in these projects.”
The Buccaneer Main Mission, launched in March 2025, underlined Inovor’s growing defence credentials. Built in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Group, the CubeSat was designed to measure high-frequency signals in low Earth orbit to improve understanding of ionospheric radio propagation. It carried payloads for radar and optical communications while drawing on the lessons of the earlier 2017 Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission.
“The Buccaneer carries an HF radar payload, an optical communications payload, and some other smaller defence-built systems that we integrated into the spacecraft,” said Tetlow. “We handled the integration, launch preparation, and launch support operations. The HF radar has an interesting and novel application.”
An upcoming mission, Hyperion, is targeted at demonstrating how Inovor’s satellites are evolving from experimental science into operational defence capability. Hyperion is a space-based space domain awareness satellite constellation designed to detect and classify objects that are not behaving as expected in orbit. This isn’t traditional space traffic management; rather, it is a capability aligned with allied governments and defence organisations looking to protect high-value assets such as GPS, communications and weather satellites.
“Hyperion is our space-based space domain awareness satellite constellation sitting in low Earth orbit,” Tetlow explained. “It’s very much aimed at allied governments and defence organisations to help protect high-value assets. These are critical pieces of infrastructure that all governments rely on.”
Other upcoming missions are already charting the next phase of Inovor’s growth. A small satellite developed with Japanese prime IHI Corporation, supported by a $2 million South Australian government grant, will focus on maritime surveillance by detecting “dark ships” – vessels that do not transmit transponders but continue to communicate via other channels. This dual-use technology is designed to enhance both security and environmental monitoring, while creating 70 local jobs.
Further collaborations include a super-resolution earth imaging satellite with the University of Adelaide, funded under the Defence Trailblazer program. This mission will demonstrate AI-assisted image processing, extracting detailed information from low-resolution sensors. By 2028, Inovor will also play a role in building a sovereign low Earth orbit satellite as part of an Optus-led consortium. That mission, supported by DSTG, SmartSat CRC, HEO and several universities, will feature payloads from the iLAuNCH Trailblazer program and operate from Optus’s Belrose facility, cementing sovereign Australian capability.
Technologies that set Inovor apart
A key differentiator for Inovor satellites is their high-precision pointing capabilities, crucial for both space domain awareness and advanced imaging. This capability allows them to detect faint objects hundreds of thousands of kilometres away or pointing a laser at a satellite 600 kilometres distant demanding extraordinary accuracy. Achieving this involves careful hardware design combined with advanced software processing that integrates data from multiple sources, such as star trackers.
Equally important is AI and autonomous operations. With satellites collecting increasingly large volumes of data, traditional downlinking of raw information is impractical. Inovor’s onboard AI systems process and filter the data, transmitting only the critical information to ground stations. Using machine learning algorithms developed with the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, the company can condense 120 megabytes of raw imagery down to just a few kilobytes, enabling efficient operations of large constellations.
“We’ve developed autonomous mission operations software called Perigee. It integrates all these functions, so for constellations like Hyperion, which might have six to ten spacecraft, you only need one operator to manage the whole system efficiently,” Tetlow said.
Electric propulsion integration is another strength. By using solid-fuel electric propulsion units from Neumann Space, Inovor can extend satellite operational life, manoeuvre efficiently, and reduce the reliance on traditional chemical propulsion. While the company does not manufacture these, its integration expertise ensures they function seamlessly with many different payloads.
The modular design of Inovor’s systems further supports scalability and flexibility. Batteries, for instance, are built as stackable units, allowing the same hardware to power small satellites or much larger spacecraft. This approach of vertical integration simplifies production, stock management, and maintenance, while enabling easy expansion for larger missions.
Manufacturing and operations
Inovor’s facility in Lot Fourteen combines high-tech production capability with flexibility for future expansion. A 100-square-metre cleanroom with ten workstations allows simultaneous production of up to ten spacecraft, while the facility’s design supports growth to 20 satellites a year by replicating the setup on an additional floor. The facility’s scale ensures readiness for current and future projects, balancing precision manufacturing with the potential for higher volume production if contracts expand.
“We invested very early, so our facility is currently much larger than we strictly need,” Tetlow said. “Our fastest build so far took seven months, so in principle we could build up to 20 spacecraft a year in our current facility. If demand increased to 40 a year, it would be straightforward to expand by replicating the setup.”
Advanced manufacturing processes underpin every satellite Inovor produces. Precision pick-and-place machines, vapour phase ovens, and high-accuracy welders are central to building electronics and structural components to tight tolerances. For tasks like welding ultrathin solar foils, conventional soldering or arc welding is inadequate, making specialised equipment essential.
Testing capability is extensive. Inovor uses thermal vacuum chambers, RF test equipment, Faraday cages, and magnetic demagnetisation systems to ensure spacecraft function perfectly in orbit. Magnetic dipole removal, for example, prevents satellites from carrying residual magnetisation that could affect in-orbit performance.
“To achieve repeatability and mission assurance, you need robust processes for design, integration, testing, and development. These processes help catch as many potential problems as possible before launch,” Tetlow said.
Partnerships and ecosystem
No modern space company can operate in isolation, and Inovor has built a strong network of manufacturing and research partners. Local suppliers such as Red Arc, Machined, Black Art Technologies, GPC, and Lintex support component fabrication and assembly, while research organisations like NSTF in Canberra and the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) provide advanced testing and additive manufacturing support. This ecosystem ensures resilience, high-quality local production, and sovereign capability.
Tetlow insisted that Inovor’s partners are important because developing in Australia means building a resilient local supply chain, not just relying on the company’s 60-person team.
“While we focus on exporting, our primary customer base is in Australia. If there were ever a situation where global access to high-tech components was disrupted, we want to be able to supply locally, and that supply chain capability is a key part of our strategy,” he said.
International collaboration also plays a role. Projects with the Italian Space Agency, Japanese government, and other global partners highlight Inovor’s ability to integrate cutting-edge technology while keeping Australia’s domestic industry strong.
Looking forward
Having successfully delivered small spacecraft, Inovor is now scaling to larger platforms. Larger satellites allow more power, bigger apertures, and greater capability, while also offering the opportunity to build in redundancies to cope with failures or extreme events, such as high-energy radiation bursts. Tetlow identified this step as essential for moving into higher orbits and geostationary missions over the next five years.
“Interestingly, making small satellites is actually more difficult because of packaging constraints, whereas larger spacecraft are somewhat easier to build but allow much higher capability. Moving to slightly bigger satellites – around the size of a small bar fridge – is a key step for us,” he said.
Inovor Technologies exemplifies how vision, technical excellence, and strategic partnerships can create world-class capability from the ground up. From a fledgling idea sparked by a university course to the delivery of three successful satellites and ambitious projects with global partners, the company has built a foundation for Australia to become a leading player in the satellite manufacturing sector. With a growing workforce, expanding facilities, and a pipeline of dual-use missions that span science, defence, and commercial applications, the company is positioned to remain at the forefront of Australia’s space industry.
As Tetlow emphasised, the journey is far from over, and the company’s next chapter promises even greater ambition and technical achievement.
