Australasian Space Innovation Institute officially announced

The new Australasian Space Innovation Institute (ASII) — an independent, not-for-profit innovation engine to translate world-class research into space-enabled solutions for the economy, society and national security — was announced yesterday at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney by Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Tim Ayres.

Building on the success of the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC), ASII will act as a trusted, neutral connector with a commercial approach, linking end users with industry and universities to accelerate the path from research to impact. ASII will help grow sovereign capability while lifting productivity in sectors such as agriculture, resources, defence, disaster resilience and environmental stewardship.

With the intention of serving as Australia’s premier engine for transforming space research, ASII will build on the principles of the SmartSat CRC by developing critical sovereign space capabilities and unlocking commercial innovation through space-for-Earth applications. It is designed to scale mission-driven collaboration, rapid prototyping and faster commercialisation of Australian intellectual property.

ASII will harness existing space technologies to support national priorities and challenges, including food security, environmental protection and disaster response. The organisation will also develop new space technologies to help Australia build its credentials as a high-tech nation, in areas such as satellite communications, Earth observation technologies and AI-enabled autonomous satellite systems. Furthermore, its commercial agility, rapid prototyping and fail-fast innovation cycles should provide benefits to Defence and national security.

ASII will focus on programs that deliver measurable outcomes for end users while strengthening regional collaboration, with examples including:

• Australian Agriculture National Digital Twin: A pre-competitive, AI-enabled virtual model of Australia’s agricultural landscape, this digital twin project integrates satellite, drone, sensor and climate data to drive productivity, sustainability and resilience. This national infrastructure will help transform research, decision-making and scenario modelling across the agricultural sector.
• Regional space-based surveillance: The Takahē project is advancing sovereign maritime domain awareness with a formation-flying SAR satellite system, reducing reliance on foreign systems, strengthening regional leadership, and enhancing responses to illegal fishing, natural disasters and grey-zone threats in the Indo-Pacific.
• Digital infrastructure for disaster management: This program will establish a globally connected digital infrastructure, powered by satellite, AI and advanced communications technologies, that strengthens emergency management and disaster resilience through real-time monitoring, predictive early warning, coordinated response and informed recovery planning.
• Space-enabled digital innovation for regional and remote community resilience: This flagship program will apply space-enabled technologies to strengthen resilience, sustainability and wellbeing across Australia’s regional and remote communities, by integrating advanced satellite communications, Earth observation, GNSS and IoT systems into practical solutions that support community priorities.
   

“ASII is about making space matter for people on the ground,” said Professor Andy Koronios, CEO and Managing Director of the Australasian Space Innovation Institute.

“We will deploy and develop satellites, advanced communications and AI-enabled Earth observation to strengthen Australia’s digital infrastructure — transforming agriculture, mining, defence, climate resilience and community safety. Our mission is practical impact, sovereign capability and the public good.”

The Australasian Space Innovation Institute will officially commence operations in January 2026.

Image caption: Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres announces the Australasian Space Innovation Institute.