A South Australian company's technology and skillset is being propelled into space as part of an international mission – after a Malinauskas Labor Government supported program helped its founders reach new heights.
Adelaide-based Hex20 will play a pivotal role in the National Central University (NCU), Taiwan's Automatic Identification System (AIS) space mission.
Hex20 is building a 3U cubesat mission named SAISI for NCU to 'space qualify' – or prepare for the environment of space – a piece of equipment that will work as an automatic identification system for ship tracking.
The company recently participated in the University of South Australia's Venture Catalyst Space Program, supported by the South Australian Government's Space Innovation Fund.
The program has connected South Australian start-ups with a global pool of industry experts, including connections from NASA, the Australian Space Agency, Defence SA, Airbus and the Smart SatCRC.
Since its inception in 2018, Venture Catalyst Space has supported 29 space start-ups, helping to kick-start their growth, and strengthen their connections to investors and researchers.
Hex20 is also working on building satellite simulators for training purposes and is involved in two other missions: Building a 3U cubesat mission for small satellites to fly a radiation detector payload, and a 6U mission technology demonstrator.
The company, which employs six staff, provides turnkey satellite mission solutions designed and delivered in South Australia.
This has been accelerated by the presence of the Australian Space Agency and events such as the Australian Space Forum.
South Australia's reputation as the Space and Defence State is putting South Australia on the international map with the State continuing to attract global investment within the sector.
Last month, space companies from the United Kingdom visited Adelaide on a mission to explore local investment opportunities. This follows multiple global companies in the sector establishing their bases in SA, including Airbus, SSTL and Equatorial Launch Australia.
To learn more about South Australia's burgeoning space sector, visit: invest.sa.gov.au/sectors/space-industries.
Quotes
Attributable to Nick Champion
We are working to provide new South Australian companies in the space industry access to industry-leaders, and real-life insight into the inner workings of the sector.
Hex20 is the perfect example of the success that can be experienced by putting the program's teaching into practice and, literally, reaching for the stars.
This is just another demonstration of our local talent, the State's role in contributing to the nation's sovereign capabilities, and its ability to provide career pathways for future generations.
Attributable to Hex20 CEO Lloyd Lopez
The space sector and defence in South Australia is thriving and is well-supported by the State Government and a range of other organisations.
The heritage of the platform technology we use comes from research and missions flown from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.
We are building on these platforms to push technological advances enabling the next generation of technologies, including optical communications, precision pointing, and high-resolution Earth imaging.
The state's strong focus on innovation and technology is helping to drive the growth of new companies in the sector.
The Venture Catalyst Space Program helped us refine our core concept, validate the business model and articulate the value proposition better.
There are many opportunities for established companies and start-ups to get involved in this exciting field.
