May 6, 2021
Over the next decade, more than 57,000 satellites will be launched worldwide to support a surge in demand for space-derived data, from environmental monitoring such as bushfires and floods, to connecting to sensors on Internet of Things (IoT) networks. However, with present-day ground stations typically tracking one satellite at a time, heavy congestion is expected to limit the potential of satellites and the downstream industries they support. Launched on 4 May, Quasar is backed by $12m in funding, technology and industry expertise from CSIRO, Main Sequence, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, and Australian companies Vocus, Saber Astronautics, Fleet Space Technologies, and Clearbox Systems. Quasar will look to capitalise on the US$130bn satellite ground communications market, using technology developed by CSIRO for radio telescopes like its own ASKAP telescope in Western Australia. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said after helping receive images of humans on the Moon 50 years ago, the commercialisation of this breakthrough research would now help put more…