Internet Solutions Australia (ISA) has completed work on the beta version of its Java interface software to be used to track Australia’s federation satellite when it is launched in mid 2002.
The software is currently exceeding expectations in performance and reliability, with the company looking at exporting the technology to the international space market due to its compatibility with both interplanetary and low earth orbiting satellites, according to ISA executive director Steven Thomas.
“We are feeding test data into the software now and we can track temperature changes, emergency warnings and mission critical information in real time with a graphic user interface,” Thomas said.
“Under our agreement with the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellites (CRCSS) we aim to jointly further develop the software with a view to commercialising it and associated intellectual property.”
A restricted public version of the system developed for mission control engineers will also be made available over the Internet, allowing users to view satellite information in real time.