Space Machines Company (SMC) has secured a A$2.9 million contract with Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) to develop an advanced space threat monitoring and response capability aimed at protecting Australian and allied space assets.
The contract forms part of ASCA’s Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, Decision Advantage program and will fund the development of the Space Threat Analysis and Response System (STARS). The capability is designed to enhance space situational awareness in an increasingly congested and contested orbital environment.
STARS will focus on predicting close flybys, rendezvous and proximity operation windows, and potential interference involving Australian and allied spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The system is intended to support faster and more informed decision-making by identifying and assessing threats to critical space infrastructure.
The project will run for 24 months and advance STARS from a conceptual technology to a working prototype. The system will ingest data from ground-based space domain awareness sensors and commercial data providers, enabling autonomous analysis in environments where objects can travel at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometres per hour and response timelines are measured in minutes.
SMC said STARS will be designed for seamless integration with space command and control architectures, including the company’s Solstice OS platform. Solstice OS supports the coordinated operation of spacecraft fleets and on-demand orbital services, and is expected to host STARS once the prototype phase is completed.
Rajat Kulshrestha, chief executive officer and co-founder of Space Machines Company, said the increasingly dynamic nature of space operations requires automated systems capable of processing complex data and generating actionable intelligence at unprecedented speed. He said the development of STARS as a sovereign capability aligns with Australia’s National Defence Strategy and contributes to the resilience of allied space defence capabilities.
By leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics, STARS will evaluate threat characteristics in near real time, assess the risk to specific satellites and generate response options while prioritising the protection of sovereign and allied systems. The autonomous nature of the system is intended to support continuous situational awareness for decision-makers operating in complex orbital environments.
Upon completion of the prototype, SMC plans to integrate STARS into Solstice OS to support coordinated operations of a fleet of Optimus Viper Rapid Response Vehicles, enabling responsive and scalable protection of space assets.
SMC said the STARS capability represents a first step toward a mature system that could be offered to allied partners through the Solstice OS platform. This approach would allow coalition forces to leverage national intelligence sources for threat detection and analysis while coordinating protective responses across allied space operations.
Kulshrestha said the company’s selection for the project reflects its experience in autonomous spacecraft operations and command and control of distributed space assets, providing a foundation for advanced threat analysis systems capable of operating at the speed and scale required for modern space domain awareness.
