The Western Australian government has awarded earth observation satellite company LatConnect 60 a $3.5 million grant to help develop the state’s first local commercial satellite assembly facility.
The facility is expected to support satellite payload development and manufacturing, satellite assembly and payload integration, in support of the company’s Short-Wave Infrared Imagery Satellite (SWIRSAT) mission.
Announced on Tuesday, the funding commitment comes from the government’s Investment Attraction Fund and will be met with at least a matched co-investment from LatConnect, which plans to produce a satellite that will be launched from India by December 2026.
LatConnect 60’s co-investment will fund sensor calibration, spectrum license, ground segment operations and communications, and data processing.
The SWIRSAT program received a $5.8 million grant through the Australian Space Agency’s International Space Investment (ISI) India Projects program earlier this year.
The satellite will monitor greenhouse gas emissions and collect other information to help the agriculture and resources sectors meet emissions reduction targets.
Last week, Queensland-based rocket and launchpad company Gilmour Space announced that its ElaraSat satellite bus would help deliver the SWIRSAT into space.
The SWIRSAT will be integrated with advanced sensors developed by Sydney-based Sprial Blue on the ElaraSat satellite bus at Gilmour Space’s Australian Space Manufacturing Network facility in Queensland. It will be launched by India-based Skyroot Aerospace.
LatConnect 60 plans to eventually launch a constellation of 18 satellites that are built in Western Australia.
Science minister Stephen Dawson said the establishment of the commercial satellite assembly facility “will ensure WA remains a vital global asset” and turn it into a “globally recognised Indo-Pacific space hub”.
“Developing this satellite facility will assist a consistent transfer of technology knowledge as well as provide a place of training for local engineers and students,” Mr Dawson said.
LatConnect 60’s chief executive and co-founder Venkat Pillay said the grant “is a natural extension” on the work it initiate under the ISI program and will be the second satellite built in Western Australia after Curtin University’s Binar-1.
A separate $800,000 Investment Attraction Fund grant was awarded to LatConnect 60 earlier this year to develop its EONet60 digital platform for accessing and analysing earth observation data.
The announcement was made by during the state’s first ever Western Australia Space Week, which is hosting three major international space conferences.
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