Missions
Starting from low
Earth orbits
SpIRIT MISSION
Space Industry, Responsive, Intelligent, Thermal Nano-Satellite
SpIRIT
THE SpIRIT (SPACE INDUSTRY – RESPONSIVE – INTELLIGENT – THERMAL NANO-SATELLITE) MISSION AIMS TO GROW AUSTRALIAN SPACE INDUSTRY CAPABILITIES THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE NANOSATELLITE.
SpIRIT will break new ground in high-performance autonomous operations, communications, propulsion and thermal management, and be the first Australian-made spacecraft to host a foreign space agency payload, showcasing both the competitiveness of Australia’s space industry, and the synergies between different industry sectors.
Led by the University of Melbourne, the SpIRIT mission is funded via the Australian Space Agency’s International Space Investment: Expand Capability grant program and funding from the different industry partners, Inovor Technologies, Neumann Space, Nova Systems and Sitael Australia. The SpIRIT design is based on a standard format (6U CubeSat) with ∼ 11.5 kg mass and linear dimensions of approximately 30 × 20 × 10 cm when stowed in the launch dispenser, which will stretch to almost one meter once in orbit due to deployable structures.
Booked for launch in April 2023, SpIRIT will first undergo commissioning of the satellite platform and all its payloads, followed by 20 months of main mission operations, spending at least two years in space. SpIRIT operations will demonstrate the long-term performance of Australian-made hardware, and – through the Italian Space Agency’s HERMES instrument – contribute to the identification and characterisation of Gamma Ray Bursts, powerful cosmic explosions resulting from the death or collision between stars, that for a brief moment emit more energy than a whole galaxy.
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Launch Date: 2023
Skykraft 1 & 2
Neumann Space will fly 2 in-orbit demonstration missions with Skykraft
Each mission will carry a different version of the Neumann Drive in the CubeSat form factor enabling testing for design and efficiency improvements.
Launch Date: 2023
Undisclosed Missions
Mission 1
A first mission with a US partner for a CubeSat version of the Neumann Drive with the potential for a second mission with a SmallSat version.
Launch Date: 2023
Mission 2
A first in-orbit demonstration mission with a European partner in a CubeSat version.
Launch Date: 2023/2024
Mission 3
A first in-orbit demonstration mission in a SmallSat version.
Launch Date: 2024
Mission 4
A first in-orbit demonstration mission in a SmallSat version.
Launch Date: 2025
