[Adelaide, Australia] — Space Machines Company, a leading Australian in-space servicing organisation, announces its purchase of Inovor Technologies’ state-of-the-art Star Tracker for integration into its groundbreaking Orbital Servicing Vehicle, Optimus. The investment marks a significant milestone in advanced manufacturing collaboration within the Australian Space and Defence sector, reinforcing the nation’s sovereign capabilities and fostering space exploration innovation.
The Star Tracker, a cutting-edge celestial navigation system developed by Inovor Technologies, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the navigation capabilities of Optimus, which will provide transportation and other in-space services following its launch on the SpaceX Transporter-10 in early 2024. The Star Tracker relies on celestial objects, particularly stars, to precisely determine the spacecraft’s orientation in space.
Dr Matthew Tetlow, Founder & CEO of Inovor Technologies, reinforced the in-house manufacturing capabilities saying, “We are thrilled to announce the integration of our Star Tracker into Optimus. This partnership exemplifies our dedication to fostering advanced manufacturing capabilities within Australia and showcases the synergy between leading local companies in this industry.”
“Our Star tracker’s high-precision, low-power attitude sensor designed and manufactured in-house provides unparalleled accuracy by precisely determining the spacecraft’s orientation. It provides fully autonomous attitude determination in a compact form factor.”
The partnership with Inovor Technologies exemplifies Space Machines Company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of space technology and underscores the company’s dedication to leveraging local Australian expertise. The integration of Inovor’s Star Tracker into the Optimus Spacecraft highlights the prowess of Australian companies in the global space race.
The partnership with Inovor Technologies exemplifies Space Machines Company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of space technology and underscores the company’s dedication to leveraging local Australian expertise. The integration of Inovor’s Star Tracker into the Optimus Spacecraft highlights the prowess of Australian companies in the global space race.
Rajat Kulshrestha, Space Machines Company Co-Founder and CEO, said: “This partnership marks an important moment for the advancement of Australia’s space industry. Working closely with leading local space pioneers like Inovor Technologies will not only generate world-leading space exploration technologies driven by enhanced accuracy and a reliable navigation system but will facilitate a new standard for local collaboration that defines the future of Australia’s space industry.
About Space Machines Company
Space Machines Company (SMC) is an Australian company delivering on-orbit servicing and protection of critical space infrastructure through its Orbital Servicing Network. SMC supports mobility, inspection, deorbiting, repair, life extension, and protection capability to satellite customers when and where they need it.
About Inovor Technologies
Inovor Technologies is a leading Australian space technology company specializing in manufacturing and spacecraft mission solutions for government, defence, and commercial customers, along with specialist engineering services in the electronic warfare domain. Inovor has capabilities to build satellites of various sizes for a wide range of missions including space domain awareness, Earth imaging, communications, climate science, AgTech, scientific experimentation, and more. It does this using its family of small satellite buses, such as the ‘Apogee’ Bus in the CubeSat class and the ‘Australis’ Bus in the SmallSat class. Their satellites are fully designed, manufactured, integrated, and tested in Adelaide, Australia.
For media inquiries, please contact:
On behalf of Space Machines Company
courtneyphelps@slingstone.com
0452 663 095
On behalf of Inovor Technologies
socials@inovor.com
0491 636 564
