Two Adelaide space companies will work together on a next-generation satellite mission scheduled for launch in 2027, further strengthening Australia’s sovereign space capability and Space Domain Awareness expertise.
The collaboration will combine Inovor Technologies’ Australian-developed Hyperion spacecraft with Neumann Space’s Adelaide-manufactured electric propulsion technology.
Hyperion is Inovor’s emerging Space Domain Awareness satellite constellation, designed to detect, identify and characterise objects in orbit.
As the orbital environment becomes increasingly congested and strategically important, Inovor says improved awareness of objects and activities in space is critical to the safe, sustainable and secure use of space by commercial, civil and defence operators.
An essential element of Hyperion’s mission is propulsion and manoeuvrability, enabling the spacecraft to optimise its orbit during its operational life.
Supporting the mission will be Neumann Space’s Adelaide-developed and manufactured electric propulsion system, the Neuman Drive, which will enable the Hyperion spacecraft to manoeuvre in orbit, supporting the operational flexibility required for the mission.
“Hyperion represents an important step forward for Inovor and for Australia’s sovereign space capability. We are developing a highly capable, intelligent spacecraft designed to help our customers better understand an increasingly complex and contested space environment,” said Dr Matt Tetlow, CEO of Inovor Technologies.
“Mobility is an important part of that capability. We selected the Neumann Drive because it provides a proven electric propulsion solution that integrates well with our spacecraft architecture, while giving Hyperion greater operational flexibility throughout its mission.”
Inovor Technologies’ decision to partner with Neumann Space was underpinned by a previously successful working relationship between the two companies.
Each contributed to the 2023 SpIRIT mission – the Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal nanosatellite – which was led by the University of Melbourne with support from the Australian Space Agency.
SpIRIT was built around an Inovor Technologies 6U satellite platform and carried a Neumann Drive as one of its Australian-developed technologies. The mission demonstrated how both technologies performed in the space environment, including successful in-orbit firings of the Neumann Drive.
“Inovor and Neumann Space have already demonstrated that our technologies can work successfully together in orbit through the SpIRIT mission and Hyperion allows us to build on that experience and take the partnership into an operational constellation,” Dr Tetlow said.
The Hyperion mission is the latest example of South Australia’s growing space sector strengths, combining locally developed spacecraft and propulsion technologies to support Australia’s sovereign Space Domain Awareness capability.
Inovor Technologies was founded in 2012 and operates from Lot Fourteen as an Australian satellite manufacturer and space mission solutions provider.
Neumann Space joined the South Australian space sector in 2015 and provides a range of adaptable, safe and efficient electric spacecraft propulsion systems.
_
Image: Neumann Space CEO Herve Astier and Dr Matt Tetlow, CEO of Inovor Technologies.
