Western Australia’s space industry sees a milestone with the launch of three locally built CubeSats satellites.
The CubeSats (Binar-2,3 and 4), launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, were carried onboard a SpaceX rocket heading for the International Space Station (ISS) as a part of a resupply mission.
This is the first time a Western Australian business has sent its goods into space.
Science minister Stephen Dawson said the satellites from Curtin University’s Binar space program were carrying instrumentation from CSIRO and Perth-based communications systems company AVI.
“This a milestone achievement with three satellites successfully taking off on a SpaceX rocket last night, carrying instrumentation from a Perth based business. This is the first time locally built goods have been sent into space,” said Dawson.
“There is little doubt that WA is the place for space.”
AVI is sending transmitters while the CSIRO is testing how new materials can protect electronics against harmful radiation in space.
It’s expected to take around 24 hours for the rocket to reach the ISS and then the CubeSats will be released into a Low Earth Orbit a few weeks later.
The CubeSats will orbit the earth approximately every 90 minutes for 6-12 months at 400km above the planet’s surface.
The WA Government has committed $3 million to support the Binar CubeSat Space Program.
In August 2021 Binar-1 became the first ever WA-made satellite to be launched into space.