Canberra, Australia – 13th June 2024.
Skykraft is celebrating the first birthday of the five Skykraft-3 satellites launched on the 13th of June 2023. These satellites have paved the way for the company to roll out its revolutionary space-enabled VHF communications and ADS-B surveillance system for Air Traffic Management with operational service commencing in late 2026.
Skykraft-3 has met all its mission goals and has demonstrated the capability to:
receive aircraft ADS-B signals,
transmit and receive voice in the VHF aviation band – this world first demonstrated the feasibility of satellite communication directly with aircraft using existing radio equipment, and
carry out software updates in orbit.
The satellites are still operational and continue to provide valuable test data as we prepare to roll out our full constellation.
Fun facts:
Since launch, the satellites have:
Made one lap of the sun.
Seen well over 5000 sunrises.
Travelled further than the distance from the earth to the sun and back.
Transmitted the first aviation voice signal from space to ground in the aeronautical VHF band.
"Celebrating the one-year anniversary of Skykraft-3 is a proud moment for our entire team," said Dr Michael Frater, CEO of Skykraft. "The satellite's exceptional performance over the past year provides a firm foundation to launch our full operational constellation in 2026 which will make aviation safer and more sustainable by increasing efficiency and improving resilience. This milestone is a testament to our team's hard work, resilience, and innovative spirit."
Skykraft’s Air Traffic Management Constellation
Skykraft is in the process of building a large constellation of satellites in low-earth orbit to provide global air traffic management services from space, providing:
VHF voice communications.
VHF data communications.
Surveillance services using ADS-B and UAT.
Multi-lateration services for:
Validation of ADS-B and UAT messages received from aircraft, and
Independent aircraft position data in the event of GNSS failure or spoofing.
About Skykraft
Skykraft delivers Air Traffic Management (ATM) services from space to serve the global market for air traffic surveillance and communications, especially over remote and oceanic regions. Headquartered in Australia, Skykraft uses a small satellite approach and dedicated ATM infrastructure to deliver services to Air Navigation Service Providers (ANPSs) worldwide.
Media contact: Iwan Morris, iwan.morris@skykraft.com.au, tel: +61 (0)408 137956.
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