Innovative South Australian space search-and-rescue technology is headed to the outback for further testing and refinement following a successful demonstration in the Adelaide CBD.
Developed by local company Safety From Space, the Lunar Search and Rescue (LunaSAR) project is set to revolutionise astronaut safety as nations gear up for humankind’s return to the Moon – and beyond.
The unique, advanced satellite communications (SATCOM) technology, which is currently backpack-sized, is in development for future life-saving operations on the lunar surface such as astronaut equipment failure or a medical episode during extravehicular activity (activities performed by astronauts outside of a spacecraft).
This technology can be utilised in remote locations on Earth, providing improvements to civil and defence terrestrial search and rescue systems while utilising existing satellite networks.
Unlike current distress beacons that alert rescuers to a person’s location via satellite without the ability for two-way communication, the technology allows direct voice-to-voice communication between the person in distress and local response team.
Founder of Safety from Space, Dr Mark Rice, explained the benefit of the technology.
“The unique power efficiency of the Beagle technology [payload] is ideal for tracking and maintaining connectivity in the most austere environments where infrastructure and systems such as GPS is not available,” said Dr Rice
Development of the Beagle technology has been supported with a $100,000 grant from the South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund with the project underway in collaboration with NASA, The Mars Society (US and Australia), SmartSat CRC, UniSA, and Flinders University.
Early-stage user testing was recently undertaken at Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen innovation precinct by Australian astronaut and STEM ambassador, Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
Further product testing and refinement is scheduled to be undertaken at Arkaroola near the Ikara-Flinders Ranges, chosen for its rugged terrain and Moon-like features.
Image: Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg conducting early user testing of search and rescue technology for the LunaSAR project at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide.
