Moon rescue systems? AI-equipped spacecraft? It sounds like science fiction, but if two South Australian start-ups are successful in their mission it could soon be science fact.
And the two South Australian companies behind the innovations – Safety from Space and AICRAFT – have each secured $100,000 in funding from the inaugural South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund to help put their ideas into action.
Safety from Space will receive funding for its Lunar Search and Rescue (LunaSAR) project.
This will trial advanced satellite communications (SATCOM) capabilities for f
uture astronaut search and rescue operations on the surface of the Moon.
A collaboration with NASA, the US and the Australian arm of The Mars Society, and a collective of Australian partners including SmartSat CRC, UniSA and Flinders University, this will be an Australian-first field trial of lunar distress beacons.
The trial LunaSAR system aims to provide astronauts with a lighter, more reliable radio beacon with longer battery life.
A successful trial could pave the way for a unique Australian contribution into NASA’s Artemis Program, and emergency communication applications closer to home, operating without reliance on local network infrastructure.
"Ensuring the safe return of astronauts in the event of an emergency is critical to interplanetary exploration, and we are passionate to see our breakthrough communications technology playing a pivotal role," Safety from Space founder Mark Rice (pictured with AIcraft's CEO Tony Scoleri) said.
"Our collaboration with NASA has put Australia at the forefront of two-way communications for search and rescue, and we are extremely grateful for the funding from the South Australian Government to make it possible."
AICRAFT’s Leoflect’ project will create a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload – a type of radar used to create detailed images of the Earth’s surface – that will be lighter and smaller than others on the market.
It will use advanced AI models to deliver power-efficient, high-speed data processing and analysis on orbit – a solution that is years ahead of existing technologies. The project, a partnership with India’s Guerin Technologies, will significantly enhance available SAR satellite capabilities.
"We have developed strong relationships with the Indian space ecosystem and are thrilled to partner with Guerin Technologies on our ‘Leoflect’ project to harness the innovation in both our companies and deliver the most compact SAR antenna and most compact, low-power onboard computer on the market," AICRAFT chief executive officer Tony Scoleri said.
"SAR data is critically important and can be used in applications such as agriculture, forestry, glacier monitoring, maritime surveillance and defence intelligence."
Launched earlier this year, the South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund is designed to accelerate the development of local space innovations and collaboration with international partners.
Details on the next round of funding will be announced in coming months. Interested parties can learn more about the successful projects here. (external site) (external site)
