2019

The Centre for Appropriate Technology’s (CfAT) wholly owned commercial subsidiary CfAT Satellite Enterprises partners with global communications company Viasat for the development of a commercial satellite ground station at CfAT’s Heath Road premises in Alice Springs. The ground station will form part of Viasat’s global Real-Time Earth system providing low-latency, affordable remote sensing satellite data to paying users on demand.

SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy rocket carrying COSMIC-2: six satellites with the purpose of improving weather forecasts and space weather monitoring. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology is a mission partner, and its Darwin facility, the Middle Point ground station, fulfils a crucial support role in sending command and control information to the satellite.