Organisation Overview

Airborne Research Australia (ARA) is a not-for-profit research institute engaged in environmental research from aircraft.

 It has expertise in sensing technologies, platform integration and data processing. ARA has substantial office/workshop/ instrumentation facilities, a fleet of research aircraft specially designed and configured as sensing platforms and an unmatched suite of science-grade remote sensing and in-situ meteorological instrumentation. ARA platforms are ideal for airborne testing of instrumentation and other spaceborne payloads, also for conducting independent measurements for satellite cal/val purposes.

ARA has test-flown space hardware (both developmental and flight hardware) and been heavily involved in cal/ val and instrument retrieval algorithm development.

Expertise and Capabilities

INSTRUMENTATION AND INTEGRATION EXPERTISE 

  • Unmatched suite of science-grade remote sensing instrumentation for research and development purposes (lidar, hyperspectral, multispectral, passive microwave, thermal).
  • In-situ measurement of atmospheric parameters (gases, temperatures, turbulent motion, aerosols, etc.
  • Science payload integration and test Carriage (and airworthiness approval) of visitor instrumentation.

Unique Selling Points

  • Typically very fast airworthiness approval and airborne operation of payloads, fully supported with integrated infrastructure.
  • Large in-house payload capacity and long flight endurance.