South Australian satellite, Kanyini, has achieved another key milestone with the successful completion of its Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) ahead of the satellite’s mid-2024 launch. The critical ESS testing was conducted at the National Space Test Facility at the Australian National University in Canberra.
The robust testing verifies the satellite’s ability to withstand the rigours of space by exposing it to the harsh physical and environmental conditions it is expected to encounter over its operational life.
Fully manufactured in Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen, Kanyini underwent two weeks of challenging trials including exposing the satellite to extreme temperature variations, intense vibrations, and crushing vacuum conditions. The satellite remained fully operational throughout the extensive testing, passing the screening with flying colours.
With Kanyini’s full System Integration Review also concluded, the successful completion of this testing now sees the wholly South Australian-based mission team embarking on the final manufacturing phase in readiness for launch.
The launch of Kanyini marks a pivotal step for the South Australian space sector, set to build space heritage for local satellite manufacturing, Internet of Things (IoT) and mission lead capabilities – a fundamental requirement for success in the global space sector.
Once in orbit, Kanyini’s dual IoT and imager payloads will deliver critical space data to be used by government and research institutions to expand their knowledge, particularly in relation to sustainability and climate impacts.
The enhanced onboard processing capability of the Hyperscout 2 imager, together with advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithms, enables smart processing of data directly in orbit, supporting rapid decision-making for time-critical applications such as smoke detection for bushfires and a range of other services.
The Kanyini mission is a collaboration between the South Australian Government, the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre as mission lead, Adelaide-based commercial satellite manufacturer Inovor Technologies, and global IoT provider Myriota.
Kanyini will be launched onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-11 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA.
Kanyini Mission Director Peter Nikoloff said, “In reaching this milestone, Kanyini has already achieved one of our key goals for the mission – building the capacity of the Australian space industry and advancing the local expertise within the sector. Once launched, Kanyini will unlock even more opportunities for research and development of innovative, sovereign Australian technologies. The collaborative effort from the whole mission team, including SmartSat CRC and our partners Myriota and Inovor Technologies, as well as the support from the South Australian Government, has been outstanding up until now. With all the payloads integrated and having passed this rigorous testing phase, Kanyini is on track for a successful mission.”
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