A new agreement between Geoscience Australia and communications company Inmarsat Australia will deliver more accurate and reliable satellite positioning services throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the $252 million agreement marked significant progress in the delivery of the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN), which is a satellite-based augmentation system developed jointly by Australia and New Zealand.
"This new agreement ensures we will have a robust, reliable satellite service working with our network of ground infrastructure to provide accurate precise positioning across the country and our maritime zones," Minister King said.
The Australian Government has committed $1.4 billion towards the establishment and sustainment of SouthPAN over 19 years. The project will provide precise positioning and navigation services to support a number of sectors, including aviation, maritime, agriculture, surveying and emergency response.
Inmarsat Australia, which has since combined with Viasat, won the first contract in 2023 to deliver a satellite payload for SouthPAN.
The new agreement covers the continuation of services from satellites as well as a new payload to be carried on one of Inmarsat's I-8 constellation of satellites.
It is also one step closer to SouthPAN being certified as a safety-of-life service for aviation, which is expected from 2028.
This new capability would mean SouthPAN can be used in safety-critical operations where life could be at risk, such as medivac flights in a wider range of weather conditions.
SouthPAN can be used in agriculture through applications like precision spraying, yield mapping, controlled traffic farming, inter-row seeding and livestock management.
It can also improve safety on mine and construction sites by accurately identifying the location of workers operating vehicles and heavy machinery.
SouthPAN is delivered by Geoscience Australia in partnership with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, with early services available to both countries since 2022.
