UNSW Canberra Space has access to a network of remotely operable, research-grade observatories, used predominantly for space domain awareness and asteroid tracking.
VIPER is an off-grid telescope observatory owned and operated by UNSW Canberra Space. It is a 14-inch wide angle telescope with very fast optics (f/2.2). It is hosted by Cingulan Space in the vicinity of the Yass ground station infrastructure. VIPER was built and designed by UNSW Canberra Space in 2020 mostly using off-the-shelf equipment and some bespoke elements. VIPER’s primary research objectives are:
- To generate high-quality space surveillance tracking data for artificial satellites
- To contribute to Defence students’ educational outcomes in space domain awareness
- To contribute to international asteroid research by fulfilling UNSW’s role as a member of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN).
VIPER observatory
UNSW Canberra Space
Since 2014, UNSW Canberra Space has hosted a node of the United States Air Force Academy's (USAFA) Falcon Telescope Network (FTN) on the Australian Defence Force Academy’s campus. The FTN is an unclassified global network of identical small aperture (20-inch) telescopes developed by USAFA’s Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (CSSAR). (See here for more information on FTN: https://www.usafa.edu/research/research-centers/center-space-situational-awareness-research/falcon-telescope-network/) It is shared between US and international university partners with the primary objectives of:
- Undergraduate space situational awareness research and education
- Astronomy research
- STEM outreach
As a hosting partner to USAFA, UNSW Canberra Space provides site support and maintenance to our node of the FTN. In exchange, UNSW Canberra Space has full access to the Canberra node of the FTN as well as to the ten other nodes across the globe.
Canberra node of the Falcon Telescope Network
UNSW Canberra Space
Asteroid 2011UL21 (near the centre) as seen by the Canberra Falcon
UNSW Canberra Space