Consortium members:

• BAE Systems Australia (SA)
• Curtin University of Technology (WA)
• Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands)
• General Dynamics (New Zealand)
• Astrium Limited (United Kingdom)

Project contact:

Associate Professor Andrew Dempster
Email: a.dempster@unsw.edu.au 

This fact sheet is avaliable to download [PDF 239KB]

The SAR Formation Flying project links leading Australian satellite navigation researchers with key local and international industry partners. The project aims to develop technology that could assist emergency response personnel during times of natural or man made disasters.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are unaffected by factors that hamper other earth observation satellites such as smoke, dust or volcanic ash. The deployment of multiple small satellites in formations promises significant advances in environmental monitoring and for use in time-critical bushfires, floods, storms, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

The benefits of SAR satellite formations can be seen in disaster management. For example bushfires currently ‘blind’ optical satellites due to smoke, and clouds often obscure floods. Neither can be imaged at night. By using SAR satellite formations, it is possible to measure the progress and extent of floods on a rapid basis.

SAR Satellite formations allow biomass measurement of tropical forests. This enhancement in environmental monitoring will enable real-time measurements that support carbon accounting in forests in Australia and tropical countries where other forms of monitoring are difficult.

The project is managed by University of New South Wales’ new Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research (ACSER). The Centre will develop technologies for satellite navigation; Earth Observation applications such as monitoring of disasters and climate change; national security; and space vehicle engineering.

For more information on the SAR Formation Flying project please visit the project website.