Hobart, Australia. Technology solutions company, HENSOLDT Australia’s, Hobart office was officially opened by the Hon Michael Ferguson Member of Parliament, Minister for Science & Technology. The new office signifies HENSOLDT’s investment in developing a sovereign Australian Space Domain Awareness capability, together with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the announcement of funding for a PhD scholar at the University of Tasmania.
The MoU, between HENSOLDT Australia, the Tasmanian Government represented by the Department of State Growth (DSG), and the University of Tasmania, establishes the TEAM Tasmania initiative to take the next step in establishing Tasmania as the centre for Space Domain Awareness in Australia.
“Tasmania is a collective of first-class capability,” says Scott Reeman, Vice President Tasmania and General Manager Strategy ANZ. “We are excited to be opening our Hobart office to work closely with TEAM Tasmania on Australia’s sovereign Space Domain Awareness capability and other local partners to realise opportunities in the Space, Maritime, Defence and Clean Energy domains together.”
The founding members of TEAM Tasmania each bring a unique competitive advantage to the partnership; HENSOLDT, as a global leader in space radar technology and systems development, the University of Tasmania as a world-renowned research institution, with significant expertise and infrastructure in space observation and tracking, and the Tasmanian Government, in funding and building on the MOU with the Australian Space Agency in 2019, to position Tasmania as the centre for space research, development and commercialisation. TEAM Tasmania will create the Southern Guardian Space Domain Awareness System (Southern Guardian) to develop a sovereign competitive advantage for the state and the nation.
“Tasmania’s southern location makes it ideally positioned to observe and track space objects, like satellites and space debris, in polar orbits” says Mr Reeman. “We have already commenced working with researchers at the University of Tasmania to refine approaches to object tracking and orbit projections and are very proud to fund a PhD candidate in this endeavour.”
The University of Tasmania manages an array of space infrastructure, capable of observing near-Earth orbiting objects, satellites and space debris and further afield objects including the tracking of distant space missions and asteroids. Southern Guardian will capture and analyse this space observation data to track, categorise and identify objects and potential threats. HENSOLDT Australia’s Hobart facility will be the centre for the Southern Guardian systems integration and data analysis, which will further fuel innovation and opportunities for both Defence and commercial space operations.
In addition to space, HENSOLDT Australia provides technology solutions across maritime, defence and clean energy, aligning closely with Tasmania’s key industry sectors. HENSOLDT’s Hobart office cements the TEAM Tasmania partnership with a local base to develop connections and build a local workforce to support space, maritime, clean energy and defence opportunities. The company is currently recruiting, seeking a range of skillsets including systems engineering, electronics, project management, radar, technicians, repair, maintenance, and calibration skills.
