The new Australasian Space Innovation Institute (ASII) has been unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025 in Sydney.
“ASII is about making space matter for people on the ground,” CEO and Managing Director of the ASII, Professor Andy Koronios, stated.
“We will deploy and develop satellites, advanced communications and AI-enabled Earth observation to strengthen Australia’s digital infrastructure—transforming agriculture, mining, defence, climate resilience and community safety. Our mission is practical impact, sovereign capability and the public good.”
Building on the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC), ASII will hope to act as a neutral connector with a commercial approach, linking end users with industry and universities to accelerate the path from research to impact.
ASII has the intention to grow sovereign capability while aiding sectors such as agriculture, resources, defence, disaster resilience and environmental stewardship. The ASII will build on the principles of the SmartSat CRC by developing sovereign space capabilities and unlocking commercial innovation through space-for-earth applications.
The ASII will operate as a partner with a commercial mindset, connecting end-users with industry and universities to accelerate and scale the translation of research into impact, while increasing the region’s space capability and contributing to Defence, national security and government priorities.
The ASII will harness existing space technologies to support national priorities and challenges, including food security, environmental protection and disaster response. The organisation will also develop new space technologies to help Australia build its credentials as a high-tech nation, in areas such as satellite communications, earth observation technologies and AI-enabled autonomous satellite systems.
With space-based assets being enablers of military operations, ASII’s has the intention of providing benefits to Defence and national security, hoping to ensure the Australian Defence Force (ADF) maintains an asymmetric advantage over potential adversaries.
ASII will focus on programs that deliver measurable outcomes for end users while strengthening regional collaboration, examples include:
- Australian Agriculture National Digital Twin: A pre-competitive, AI-enabled virtual model of Australia’s agricultural landscape, this Digital Twin project integrates satellite, drone, sensor, and climate data to drive productivity, sustainability, and resilience. This national infrastructure will help transform research, decision-making, and scenario modelling across the agricultural sector.
- Regional Space-Based Surveillance: The Takahē Project: The Takahē project is advancing sovereign maritime domain awareness with a formation-flying SAR satellite system, reducing reliance on foreign systems, strengthening regional leadership, and enhancing responses to illegal fishing, natural disasters, and grey-zone threats in the Indo-Pacific.
- Digital Infrastructure for Disaster Management: This program will establish a globally connected digital infrastructure, powered by satellite, AI, and advanced communications technologies, that strengthens emergency management and disaster resilience through real-time monitoring, predictive early warning, coordinated response, and informed recovery planning.
- Space-Enabled Digital Innovation for Regional and Remote Community Resilience: This flagship program will apply space-enabled technologies to strengthen resilience, sustainability, and wellbeing across Australia’s regional and remote communities. By integrating advanced satellite communications, Earth observation, GNSS, and IoT systems into practical solutions that support community priorities.
The Australasian Space Innovation Institute will officially commence operations in January 2026.