Adelaide-based artificial intelligence company AICRAFT has secured support through the South Australian Government’s Manufacturing Growth Accelerator (MGA) Program to develop electronics intended for the next generation of spaceborne radar systems.
The company is working with Flinders University at the Factory of the Future facility in the Tonsley Innovation District on an advanced front-end electronics system for synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The project includes development of a low-power analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) designed to connect directly to AICRAFT’s Pulsar Pro edge computing device.
According to AICRAFT, the aim is to enable full-accuracy data acquisition and real-time signal processing directly on satellites. The front-end electronics and the Pulsar Pro device are intended to integrate with a lightweight and compact SAR antenna developed by partner Guerin Technologies in India.
SAR systems can generate large volumes of data and are used in applications including agriculture, iceberg detection, flood mapping, vessel tracking, surface deformation monitoring and infrastructure damage assessment. AICRAFT said combining the new ADC design with onboard processing could reduce the energy required to collect data, supporting integration with smaller satellites and speeding up delivery of information to users on the ground.
AICRAFT said several hardware features will be designed and manufactured jointly with Flinders University researchers. A space technology demonstration is planned for Q2 2027, with the electronics to be integrated into a satellite platform for in-orbit validation.
The company said the work builds on an earlier South Australian Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund initiative sponsored by SASIC that supported collaboration between AICRAFT and Guerin Technologies to develop initial systems, and that the combined work is intended to contribute to a fully integrated radar payload for future satellite missions.
AICRAFT said the project is expected to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in space electronics and advanced manufacturing and could also create opportunities for integration into satellite constellations, airborne platforms and drone-based radar systems.
QUOTES
Attributable to Minister for State Development Hon Chris Picton MP, Government of South Australia:
“Supporting South Australian businesses to explore technologies, particularly in growth industries such as space and defence, is critical for the state’s manufacturing future”.
Attributable to Dr Tony Scoleri, CEO of AICRAFT:
“Our journey with Flinders University – from residency at the New Venture Institute to employing Flinders graduates and now launching this research program – reflects a partnership that continues to grow in strength. Now we are developing a disruptive capability that meets the increasing demand for real-time information, with a solution compact enough to operate on 100 Kg-class satellites instead of multi-tonne platforms.”
Attributable to Flinders University Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ray Chan:
“Flinders Factory of the Future partners with industry to bring together the right expertise, technologies, and world-class researchers – across Australia and globally – to tackle problems and develop solutions. The partnership with AICRAFT, combined with the support of the South Australian Government through the Manufacturing Growth Accelerator, is an outstanding example of what’s being achieved. Advances which not only position our state and nation for the future but deliver solutions for our community – and opportunity for our students.”
