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Australian
Satellites & Programs
Satellites
There have only ever been a handful
of Australian-made or owned satellites (and a few more satellite
projects that weren't successful):
- Australis-OSCAR
5 - Australia's first
satellite and the only successful Australian amateur satellite,
made in 1966 but not launched until January 1970.
- WRESAT - the first Australian-made satellite
to be launched into space, made in 1967 and launched from Woomera
late that year.
- AUSSAT
A-series - the first
nationally-owned communication satellites, launched in the mid-1980s
and still in service, now renamed the Optus A-series.
- Optus
B-series - the successor
to the Optus A-series, launched in the early 1990s and now the
mainstay of C&W Optus' satellite communication business.
- WESTPAC - the Western Pacific Laser Tracking
Network (WPLTN) satellite, launched in July 1998 and owned by
Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems Pty Limited (EOS).
- FedSat-1 - the Federation Satellite, an initiative
of the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems, due
to be launched in late 2001 to celebrate Australia's centenary
of federation.
- Optus
C-series - Currently
comprising a single Space Systems / Loral 1300-series satellite
- Optus
D-series - The two satellites
of the Optus-D series will be based on Orbital's Star-2 platform
and will carry 24 Ku-band transponders, with 8 back-up channels
also available, to provide fixed communications and direct television
broadcasting services to Australia and New Zealand.
Programs
There are only a few space related
programs currently being developed in Australia
- The HyShot Flight Program achieves
supersonic combustion. Click here for
more.
- In 2007, AstroVision Australia
Limited will deliver the first live, continuous true color image
stream of the Earth. From live weather and environmental monitoring
of earth to the enhancement of national and regional security
through real-time monitoring of large assets, both mobile and
fixed. Click here
for more
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