Australian space startup Fleet has announced a partnership with French space agency, CNES, to track and support Fleet’s first nanosatellites when they are launched early next year.
“Partnering with a leading international space agency puts us in a strong position for the future,” said Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder and CEO of Fleet.
“The support of CNES comes at a critical phase in our space mission. The relationship will play a key role in ensuring that the digital nervous system we’re creating for Earth succeeds. They will also serve as a valuable asset as we begin to connect organisations to our network.”
CNES President Dr Jean-Yves Le Gall said the organisation will use its network of ground communications antennas to track Fleet’s two nanosatellites that will be launched in 2018. This support will include orbital diagnostics to characterise the satellites’ orbits.
“At CNES, we are actively looking for partnerships with game changing NewSpace players,” he said.
“Fleet is a leader in the Australian NewSpace scene, building on the small satellite revolution to provide the world with innovative connectivity solutions. As one of the greatest challenges in space applications today, this is also something we are looking into closely. Joining forces with Fleet has therefore emerged as a natural development.“
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations will be signed today on the opening day of this year’s International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide. The signing will happen at a ceremony with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.
The MoU allows, beyond the first two launches of Fleet’s nanosatellites, a continued relationship between Fleet and CNES so that they can collaborate on future initiatives together.
Tata Nardini believes it is a particularly exciting time for the Australian space industry.
"Our businesses are thriving, and are entering the world stage," she said.
"We have quickly growing startups like Fleet, Gilmour, and Saber all playing in the same league as NASA and other major space organisations. It’s a testament to the burgeoning Australian space industry that the IAC is here this year.”
Le Gall, who is also President of the International Astronautical Federation and Chair of the current IAC, said CNES has been present in Australia for a long time, but the recent working discussions reflected a whole new dynamic.
"Space has gained new political importance in proving essential to manage global threats," he said.
"This fundamentally differs from the traditional perception of space as a demonstration of power, and this is where Australia is naturally finding its place. The global move towards smaller innovative missions, areas where Australia can bring its strengths and capabilities to bear, has rapidly led to a convergence of interest and synergies between us.”
He is unconcerned that companies like Fleet working with miniature satellites will threaten traditional space players.
"To the contrary, at CNES we consider NewSpace as a complement to what we do. The CNES-Fleet collaboration is the perfect example,” Le Gall said.
[Flavia Tata Nardini. Photo: Fleet]