Defence has decided not to proceed with the procurement of a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite communications system which Lockheed Martin Australia was selected to build under Joint Project 9102.
"With the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project’s commencement, Defence has assessed that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities," Defence said in a statement.
"Instead of a single orbit solution, Defence must instead prioritise a multi-orbit capability increasing resilience for the Australian Defence Force."
The GEO communications system would have provided coverage across a band of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the central Indian Ocean to the Solomon Islands, from around 2027.
Instead, Defence will continue to depend on various commercial and US space-based communication systems. They include a payload hosted on Optus' C-1 satellite, Ultra high frequency channels on Intelsat IS-22, a commercial satellite; and proportional access to the US Space Forces' Wideband Global SATCOM system (WGS) network, which Australia gained by paying for WGS-6.
The US Department of Defence is also moving away from single-orbit constellations over fears about their vulnerability. The US Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to build satellites for the SDA's Transport Layer low earth orbit communications system.
Updated 1400 4/11/2024:
“Lockheed Martin will continue to support the Commonwealth to meet its strategic needs and is proud to be partnering with the Australian Defence Force on many ongoing programs," a Lockheed Martin Spokesperson told ADM.
"We are committed to preserving our sovereign workforce with impacted staff being redeployed across other existing and emerging programs where possible.”