NEWS RELEASE
5 December 2002
Ten
days to lift-off
Countdown begins at “ground station” UniSA for Australia’s
first 21st century satellite
The
countdown to the launch of Australia's first satellite in more than 30
years has begun for UniSA researchers, who are gearing up to play a
leading role in the historic space project.
FedSat,
the first project of the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite
Systems, has been scheduled for launch at the Tanegashima Space Centre in
Japan on December 14 (midday Adelaide time).
A
team of UniSA and other CRC engineers and researchers are spending the
next 10 days preparing the ground station at Mawson Lakes to take control
of the satellite following launch.
UniSA Director of the Institute for Telecommunications
Research (ITR) Professor Bill Cowley said the SA connection would be vital
to the success of the satellite and the research payloads it carries. The
Mawson Lakes ground station is the only facility in the world set up to
control the satellite and its experimental payloads.
The
spacecraft will carry advanced communication, space science, navigation
and computing payloads developed by the CRC research partners, with
international collaboration including the United States National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Data from the scientific
payloads will contribute to international research programs and to the
research programs of the Centre.
The
team at ITR will also be responsible for testing an advanced digital
communications system installed in FedSat, which is capable of being of
being re-configured in space under control from the ground station. This
development has shown great promise and will be used experimentally in at
least two other satellites being constructed by research bodies in Korea
and Singapore.
CRCSS
Executive Director Dr Brian Embleton said Japan's National Space
Development Agency (NASDA) had agreed to launch FedSat as a
"piggyback" payload with the Japanese satellite "ADEOS-II".
Dr
Embleton said under the agreement the Japanese space agency would provide
the launch service in exchange for access to scientific data FedSat, a
research satellite, would collect.
He
said FedSat would conduct initial research missions in communication
technologies, global positioning systems (GPS), computing and space
science over the next three years, and was expected to orbit 800km above
the earth for several decades.
"December
14 is going to be a momentous day for the space industry and space
research in Australia," Dr Embleton said.
"Australia
has essentially been out of the satellite space game for so many years,
the future of the nation's space endeavours will be boosted tremendously
by FedSat."
The
CRCSS is a collaboration involving the following core partners: CSIRO;
University of South Australia; Queensland University of Technology;
University of Technology, Sydney; Auspace Ltd; Vipac Engineers and
Scientists; and University of Newcastle.
News
editors please note: There will be a special launch day event held at
Mawson Lakes from 11.45 am on Saturday December 14 including a press
conference after the launch and opportunities to film or take pictures at
the ground station at Mawson Lakes. Any interviews before the launch must
be arranged by appointment through Michèle Nardelli on 041 88 23673.
Dr
Brian Embleton is available for interview on 02 6216 7275. To view daily
launch updates and access NASDA photos/multimedia, go to
<http://h2a.nasda.go.jp/index_e.html>.
