Macquarie University and Gilmour Space partner to deliver new space technology set for orbit

 November 22, 2022

Macquarie University’s Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) has signed an agreement with pioneering manufacturer Gilmour Space Technologies to produce a new sovereign space technology, set to launch in 2023.

Gilmour Space Technologies is one of Australia’s innovative NewSpace companies and the leading venture-backed manufacturer of launch vehicles and satellite platforms. AAO Macquarie is world renowned for its ground-based precision instrumentation for telescopes and is now branching out to non-astronomy applications in space.

As part of this new partnership with Gilmour Space, a team of technical specialists from AAO Macquarie will construct and deliver a thermal camera payload. 

“The payload will be integrated into a Gilmour Space satellite which is slated for launch in late 2023. The data collected from the thermal camera payload will allow the exploration of a new approach to collecting imaging data,” says Project Lead Dr Lee Spitler from AAO Macquarie.

“The agreement marks an exciting new chapter for the AAO, as our team of experts can expand their skills and remits to support the growing interest in space exploration.”

"At Gilmour Space, we like to work with fast-moving and innovative partners like AAO Macquarie. This is going to be a new Australian-made thermal space imager, which could be used for many different applications, including water quality monitoring, bushfire detection, weather monitoring, and more," said Shaun Kenyon, the Program Manager for Satellites at Gilmour Space.

This mission flies an all-Australian payload sensor suite and kick-starts Macquarie’s participation in the NewSpace era of agile space technology development.