Leonardo Australia has become the latest company to add its support to the SmartSat CRC, headquartered alongside the Australian Space Agency in Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen.
The SmartSat CRC is a consortium of universities, research organisations and industry that has been funded by the government to develop know-how and technologies in advanced satellite telecommunications and IoT connectivity, intelligent satellite systems and Earth observation next generation data services. In joining SmartSat CRC, participants agree to team-up according to each member’s expertise and interest in a variety of projects.
Leonardo Australia’s announcement came during the 9th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide, attended by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Ambassador of Italy Francesca Tardioli and the President of the Italian Space Agency Giorgio Saccoccia.
Leonardo Australia is establishing an industrial presence in Adelaide and in doing so will be supporting Leonardo’s geospatial imagery company e-GEOS (a joint venture between Telespazio and the Italian Space Agency) in its contribution of funds and know-how to the SmartSat CRC.
“As an Australian, I am totally committed to growing our company into a valuable local industrial asset contributing in knowledge and employment,” Michael Lenton, Chairman of Leonardo Australia, said. “The SmartSat CRC is a powerful vehicle for helping position Australian industry and the Australian Space Agency in the centre of the global space scenario. Leonardo is proud to be part of it."
SmartSat CRC CEO and Managing Director Andy Koronios welcomed Leonardo’s partnership, stating that the pooling of global space technologies, knowledge and investment will produce results far quicker and ‘leap frog understanding and applications’.
“e-GEOS will bring its ‘out of the box’ thinking in satellite radar and hyperspectral imagery to the infinite fields of application in Australian society - maritime surveillance, mining, better agriculture even environmental monitoring as a critical element of bushfire prevention and damage assessment,” Bruno Versini, e-GEOS COO, said.