The South Australian Government has partnered with SmartSat CRC and local companies Inovor Technologies and Myriota to send a locally manufactured small satellite to low Earth orbit.
Fully manufactured at Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen, South Australia’s first state-funded satellite – Kanyini – was launched onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-11 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on 17 August 2024.
Now in orbit, the locally-based mission team are working to establish stable communications with the satellite, that will be followed by a commissioning phase over the next few months to test and initiate the onboard systems.
The Kanyini satellite was designed and built at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, with The SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre leading the mission as well as application prototyping. Adelaide-base satellite manufacturer Inovor Technologies built the satellite, while Myriota, a world-leading provider of secure, low-cost, and long battery life satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) developed the IoT services for the mission.
A major milestone for South Australia’s space sector, the $6.5 million Kanyini Mission has helped create hi tech jobs in the state’s space sector and develop vital local space capabilities that will lift the competitiveness of South Australian businesses in the small-satellite supply chain.
Payloads
Kanyini has two payloads, the HyperScout 2 Flight Model hyperspectral imager, which is a compact imaging payload that will provide details Earth Observation imagery to support research into areas such as crop health, forestry, inland and coastal water management and more.
Myriota’s IoT Space Services device is the second payload, that will provide the data transfer capability for the satellite, sending data from IoT devices and sensors on the Earth’s surface to the satellite.
Once fully commissioned, the satellite’s dual IoT and imager payloads will deliver critical space data that will be used by government and research institutions, particularly in the areas of sustainability and climate impacts. This will help improve state services like emergency services, environmental and water quality monitoring and bushfire mitigation.
Naming of Kanyini satellite
Kanyini is a Pitjantjatjara word that describes the principle of responsibility and unconditional love for all of creation.
In 2021, to inspire young South Australians about future opportunities in space and demonstrate its impact on everyday life, South Australian school students were invited to submit entries to name the satellite and become a part of South Australian history.
Year 11 students from Findon High School won the challenge with their nomination of Kanyini. The students were inspired by the connection of Kanyini to how the satellite data would be used to tackle real world problems.
To follow the Kanyini journey visit kanyinimission.com.au
