South Australia is launching its own Dish today but modern
technology means you would be more likely to play marbles on it than cricket. Unlike the
giant satellite dish featured in the recent Australian movie, the SA dish is smaller but a
whole lot more sophisticated.
The FedSat dish will be launched in style with a champagne breakfast this morning
(Friday December 15) at 8:30 am at Mawson Lakes.
The three-metre dish located at Technology Park, Mawson Lakes will be used to track
the Australian FedSat satellite when it is launched later in 2001. A vital part of the
tracking, telemetry and command (TTC) ground station for FedSat, the new dish is mounted
on the roof of UniSA’s internationally acclaimed Institute for Telecommunications
Research (ITR).
FedSat is also a smaller breed of satellite, establishing a new generation of compact
satellites for future telecommunications use and research. It will carry a range of vital
experiments set to bring long term benefits to Australian industry and researchers.
UniSA’s ITR is a core partner in the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite
Systems, a collaborative research partnership that includes DSTO, University of Technology
Sydney, CSIRO TIP, DSpace Pty. Ltd., Curtin University of Technology and MITEC Ltd.
ITR’s Senior Technical Officer, Terry Kemp says the dish can scan in any direction
across all compass points.
"Working in tandem, the dish and FedSat will provide invaluable information on a
range of significant industry and technology factors – from monitoring ocean data
through a system of sonar buoys, to testing new higher frequency transmission bands,"
Mr Kemp says.
"It is exciting technology both on the ground and in space and Australian research
is leading the way in many aspects of the development of this technology.
"The various payload experiments to be launched with FedSat will have long term
benefits to industry here and around the world."
Kemp says the controls for the dish are undergoing some fine-tuning and will be
tracking other satellites in the lead up to the launch of FedSat.
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966, 041 8823673
