DST Group collaborates with industry and academia to research enhanced SATCOM

Australian defence scientists are partnering with industry and academia on a satellite communications (SATCOM) research venture that has the potential to significantly enhance military capability.

Known as Project CHORUS (Compact Hybrid Optical-RF User Segment), the project will explore ways of integrating both laser-based optical and radio frequency (RF) communications technologies in a single SATCOM user terminal.

According to the Defence Department’s News Portal, this is Defence’s first collaborative project to be launched through the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), and bring together the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group, industry partners EOS Space Systems and EM Solutions, Lyrebird Antenna Research and Shoal Group, along with academic partners the Australian National University and the University of South Australia.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the SmartSat CRC, Andy Koronios, said the SmartSat CRC, in partnership with Defence, had established the project to develop world-leading Australian technologies that will improve the resilience of military satellite communications and potentially provide leapfrog technology for commercial markets.

“By combining optical and RF communications, satellite operators will have more options to provide high-availability, high-capacity and high-resilience satellite communications services without requiring additional access to scarce and expensive radio spectrum,” Professor Koronios said.

Gerald Bolding, Senior Research Scientist – Protected Satellite Communications within DST’s Cyber and Electronic Warfare Division, said the aim was to provide satellite operators with the best of both worlds, combining high data transfer rates and enhanced security promised by optical communications with the reliability of traditional RF communications.

“The end result will be the development of innovative technology options for integrating hybrid optical-RF SATCOM terminals into military aircraft, land vehicles and ships,” Dr Bolding said.

The first phase of the research will see the team assess the viability of different design options and create a virtual representation, or ‘digital twin’, of the CHORUS concept to support the development of a demonstration terminal later in the project.

The SmartSat CRC and project participants has invested about $1 million over 12 months, out of a total of $245 million in funding for the research consortium which involves more than 100 companies, start-ups and research organisations. Defence will contribute $12 million in funding to the SmartSat CRC over seven years.

It formally opened in February and is looking for opportunities to collaborate with the brightest minds within Australian companies and universities to achieve better capability outcomes for the nation.

Download the latest issue of APDR here.

For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Kym Bergmann at kym.bergmann@venturamedia.net
Online Editorial Mike Yeo at mike.yeo@venturamedia.net
For Advertising Inquiries Contact
Director of Sales Graham Joss at graham.joss@venturamedia.net