D2N provides comms for Southern Launch rocket launch facilities

Southern Launch is a rocket launch service provider, headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. Their Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex and the Koonibba Test Range is a suborbital testing facility. Their team of leading engineers, project managers, specialists and space regulation experts have developed a full-service continuum catering to the key needs of rocket manufacturers and their payload customers.

Recently they were in the market for a reliable and secure communications system for their launch facilities and ranges, which cover a large, undulating and geographically challenging landscape and for that they turned to D2N – Technology Solutions.

Southern Launch required a fully encrypted and mission-critical communications system that would also provide blue force GPS tracking, recording of all conversations and dispatch covering a huge site. On top of this communications system, Southern Launch had a requirement for high-speed, 4K video streaming capabilities that could be reliably transmitted across the launch range networks in real time.

The Southern Launch team in front of the Hapith Rocket at Whalers Way in September 2021.

The Kiloview encoders provided the mission control team with clear real-time footage of remote camera systems and enabled a robust stream that could be rapidly replayed and appropriately backed up and secured. According to Southern Launch’s Mission Control Manager, Shane Bennett, the D2N system went together quickly and got Southern Launch the coverage they required immediately.

For Bennett the real ‘wow’ factor with the D2N comms solution is value for money, as he explained: “We went back and forward for months discussing the radio network and when it came down to it the Hytera kit stood head and shoulders over the competition in terms of price and feature set with no sacrifice in performance.”

To Bennett’s point Southern Launch and D2N spent a lot of time discussing the requirements for the project, and to ensure the equipment met Southern Launch’s needs D2N was able to provide initial rental equipment so they could trial the technology and ensure it would suit their needs.

For more on Southern Launch go to: https://www.southernlaunch.space