Australia’s SmartSat to Create ‘Data Freeway in the Sky’ with Laser, Quantum Communications and AI Systems

(SAT.News) The Australian space industry has launched the Cooperative Research Centre for Smart Satellite Technologies and Analytics with $245 million. The funding for advanced telecommunications and intelligent satellite systems makes the SmartSat CRC the biggest space industry research collaboration in Australian history.
Bid leader and University of South Australia Professor Andy Koronios explained Australia could also no longer rely on terrestrial connectivity as the world started connecting everything from cattle to hospitals digitally with Industry 4.0 applications. “For a nation with a footprint covering one 10th of the planet, Australia has had very little presence in space,” Professor Krononis said. “We cannot rely exclusively on the goodwill of other nations to meet our communications and connectivity needs or to monitor our nation and our resources. No amount of land-based communication infrastructure can fully solve the digital divide that exists in a massive country like Australia. We will create a data freeway in the sky by using new, game-changing technologies such as laser and quantum communications and artificial intelligence systems.”