Canberra-based spacetech company Skykraft has been awarded a $3.7 million grant from the International Space Investment India Projects program.
Grants from this federal government funded program are intended to support Australian organisations in conducting joint space projects and building valuable commercial links with the Indian Space Research Organisation and the broader Indian space sector.
Skykraft, which was founded in 2017, is on track to begin providing the world’s first comprehensive space-enabled air traffic control service in 2026.
The aviation sector is dealing with increasingly congested skies while relying on ageing ground-based infrastructure. Skykraft believes this means the time is right for introduction of its more efficient, space-based system. VHF band voice and data radio communications are used for communications between aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers. The use of satellites to complement ground-based radio systems will enable seamless global real-time communications between pilots and air traffic controllers all over the world for the first time.
Skycraft’s VHF voice communications service is complemented by a surveillance system that uses position signals broadcasts for air traffic controllers to maintain precise current positions of aircraft.
In October 2023, Skykraft raised more than $100 million which it expected would finance it through to the deployment of an initial constellation of operational air traffic management satellites, beginning in 2025. An initial 50 operational satellites are now expected to be launched during 2025 with operations beginning in 2026. The company then plans to progressively launch more satellites over following years to eventually create a constellation of 2,976.
Launching and testing of prototype satellites is continuing and in March this year the company announced that its application to operate ADS-B and VHF communications services from 2026 had been accepted by the International Telecommunications Union.
Investors in the 2023 capital raising round included Foresight Australia, the local subsidiary of the UK listed funds manager, Canadian pension fund OPTrust, and CSIRO-backed deep tech investment firm Main Sequence Ventures.
Image: An artist’s impression of Skykraft satellites in orbit over Australia.