Capricorn Space Secures Licences to Establish Satellite Ground Segment Infrastructure in Australia

Melbourne, Australia, July 25, 2018 -- Recently established Capricorn Space Pty Ltd has secured licences from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to establish ground infrastructure in Australia to support a diverse range of satellite missions.

Founded in early 2018 and funded by the Knowles Group of Companies, Capricorn Space will now finalise site and infrastructure selection with plans to begin commercial service in early 2019. Initial sites will be established on the west coast and in the south east of Australia and will enable satellites to be accessed across much of the southern hemisphere.

Initial licences have been secured in the UHF, S and X frequency bands which are expected to prove attractive to many SmallSat and CubeSat operators. Whilst there is significant infrastructure to support these services in the northern hemisphere there is lack of capability south of the equator.

Capricorn Space intends to provide a range of service options to its customers including establishing partnerships with existing international infrastructure providers to significantly improve the capability of satellite operators to control and distribute information from their space assets.

Capricorn Space was formed with the vision of increasing the value of satellite data within the Digital World. Getting data to the right people as quickly as possible maximises its value and helps organisations — commercial and government — to achieve their core objectives.

The company also plans to tap into the great optimism and opportunity that exists within the Australian space industry following the announcement of the establishment of an Australian Space Agency and to leverage off the skillset and entrepreneurship that exists Down Under.

One observation was that relatively few commercial ground stations exist in Australia and indeed the southern hemisphere. When combined with Australia’s expansive geography it became apparent that a network of ground stations across the country would greatly enhance the ability to service the LEO and MEO markets.