Mount Kent Observatory hosts the Australian space debris optical tracking station of the SMARTnet (Small Aperture Robotic Telescope network) program in partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Space debris is a significant ‘Space Situational Awareness’ problem for the space industry. SMARTnet is focused on monitoring the geostationary ring of debris in low Earth orbit and requires a network of stations to monitor all longitudes of the night sky.
SMARTnet at Mount Kent Observatory is funded by the DLR for the coming decade, with UniSQ and DLR scientists working with each other remotely to maintain operations.
