Physics
Scientific paper
Sep 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011amos.confe..57n&link_type=abstract
Proceedings of the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, held in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, September
Physics
Scientific paper
At AMOS 2008 the first author presented a review of surveillance of space activities in Australia up to that date: this paper reviews significant initiatives and events that have taken place since then. In summary some major policy commitments to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) have been made and some sizeable new R&D programs have been launched to develop nascent Australian SSA capabilities. Australia has still to settle on its national requirements for SSA and space generally, however, so these initiatives have yet to evolve into substantial, enduring programs of record.
In more detail, the communiqués issued at the annual Australian-US ministerial consultations in November 2010 announced an in-principle commitment to Defence collaboration on SSA and to establishing a joint space tracking facility in Western Australia: Defence in Australia is now working through setting up this facility and how it will move into SSA generally. These are part of a larger national re-engagement with space: in particular in 2009 Australia committed to developing a national space policy and allocated A40 million of funding to a new Australian Space Research Program (ASRP) to boost space research. Over 5 million from this program has been awarded to projects centred on SSA, primarily to enhance EOS’ satellite laser tracking system. In addition to these projects, the partners in an allied Defence R&D agreement that includes DSTO have agreed to a joint experiment that will fly a small formation of suitably instrumented CubeSats with the aim of, inter alia, providing ground truth for testing SSA capabilities. More generally DSTO has been supporting various aspects of Defence’s engagement with SSA, including identification of S&T in which Australia has particular expertise that could be deployed on SSA given the necessary direction. The paper outlines these recent developments, reviews relevant Australian expertise in one particular field, tracking and sensor fusion (the second author leads DSTO’s research program in this area), and canvasses some possible future programs and relationships.
Gordon Noam
Newsam G.
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