New sat-nav tech boosted by Australia-India collaboration

New sat-nav tech boosted by Australia-India collaboration

A satellite navigation system incorporating light-based microchip technology is being scaled up for low Earth orbit applications through a new Australia-India collaboration.

RMIT University is partnering with Australian air traffic management company Skykraft and microchip manufacturers in India to explore a regional alternative to the US-owned Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, thanks to a $3.7 million Australian Government grant.

RMIT researchers are leading the world on this cutting-edge technology – their system called microcombs is based on photonic microchips, which can be rapidly adapted to any application that uses light including with positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities.

The collaboration will accelerate the development of these chips for PNT applications and develop a supply chain between the nations to support deployment of this technology into low Earth orbit.

The technology is expected to enable smaller, more affordable positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities for low Earth orbit satellites that could complement both GPS and alternative navigation satellite systems including the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.

Professor Suelynn Choy (left) and Distinguished Professor Arnan Mitchell from RMIT University are partnering with Australian air traffic management company Skykraft and microchip manufacturers in India to explore a regional alternative to the US-owned Global Positioning System (GPS) technology thanks to a $3.7 million Australian Government grant. Credit: Will Wright Professor Suelynn Choy (left) and Distinguished Professor Arnan Mitchell from RMIT University are partnering with Australian air traffic management company Skykraft and microchip manufacturers in India to explore a regional alternative to the US-owned Global Positioning System (GPS) technology thanks to a $3.7 million Australian Government grant. Credit: Will Wright

Professor Suelynn Choy said developing alternative, sovereign navigation systems ensured that countries such as Australia and India had back-up systems and were not solely reliant on external providers in the United States and Europe for critical PNT infrastructure.

“The global reliance on GPS makes entire regions vulnerable to losing positioning, navigation and timing data if the system fails,” said Choy, Professor of Satellite Navigation at RMIT’s School of Science.

“Australia and India have some very specific challenges and opportunities – particularly our large land mass, vast borders and primary industries relying on positioning, navigation and timing data – GPS may not be the right technology for all of these needs.

“These satellites are easier and less expensive to launch, and they allow for more flexibility by being deployed where coverage is needed most, providing a backup to other global navigation satellite systems.”

Choy said while GPS and other existing satellite navigation systems were accurate, these systems can lack resilience can struggle to function in built up environments and were vulnerable to interference.

“Low earth orbit PNT technology could deliver stronger signals that were less vulnerable to interference,” she said.

Distinguished Professor Arnan Mitchell, Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS) at RMIT, said his team’s microcombs photonic chips provided a portable, affordable alternative for time synchronisation on smaller satellites.

“This portability opens up opportunities for more accessible and deployable satellite networks,” he said.

“This project presents an exciting opportunity for forming closer ties between Australia and India, where we collaborate to develop our microcombs technology and find innovative solutions for global positioning, navigation and timing challenges.”

The grant is through the Australian Space Agency’s International Space Investment India Projects, which supports strategic space projects that build valuable commercial links with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the broader Indian space sector.


Story: Will Wright

22 January 2025

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