Inovor to deliver satellite bus for Buccaneer project

South Australian space technology company Inovor is set to deliver a satellite bus that will house equipment for the Buccaneer Main Mission after winning a $2.5 million Defence contract.

The mission aims to calibrate the Jindalee Operational Radar Network’s (JORN) signals and obtain “high quality flight data for correlated Astrodynamics and SSA (Space Situational Awareness) experiments using the Buccaneer spacecraft in combination with ground sensor networks” according to eoPortal.

JORN serves as an early detection system for Australia’s defence force and uses the ionosphere to bounce high-frequency radio signals from a transmitter onto a target such as a ship or aircraft.

“The Defence White Paper highlights space research and space-based systems as an important part of Australia’s Defence capability and national security,” Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP, said, including intelligence collection, communications, navigation, targeting and surveillance.

The contract-signing ceremony was held in Adelaide between Defence and Inovor Technologies CEO Dr Matthew Tetlow.

Image credit: © Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence