Page 68 - SAMENA Trends - August-September 2025

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Viasat to Expand SouthPAN Satellite Services in Australia & New Zealand

Viasat, a global leader in satellite communications, announced
a $252 million AUD award from Geoscience Australia (GA) and
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to deliver
additional satellite services for the region’s world-class Southern
Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN). This expands on
a previous SouthPAN award for the company and the estimated
net incremental value for Viasat from this agreement is $214M
AUD. SouthPAN is a collaborative satellite-based augmentation
system developed jointly by Australia and New Zealand. It provides
precise positioning and navigation services to support a number
of sectors, including aviation, maritime, agriculture, surveying and
emergency response. SouthPAN serves growing end market use
cases, including in agriculture to increase productivity through
applications like precision spraying, yield mapping, controlled traffic
farming, inter-row seeding and livestock management. It is also said, this agreement secures a reliable satellite service and ground
capable of improving personnel safety on mine and construction infrastructure, delivering precise positioning across Australia
sites through smart geo-fencing technologies to accurately identify and its maritime zones – enabling industries to innovate where
the location of workers operating vehicles and heavy machinery. accuracy is critical. From farms to freight, users will be able to
This marks the second such award for the company, after Inmarsat access free services that are accurate and timely. Todd McDonell,
– which has since combined with Viasat – was awarded a contract President, Viasat International Government said, Viasat is thrilled to
in May 2023 to deliver a satellite payload for SouthPAN. The new expand its support for SouthPAN and enable improved positioning
agreement, which amends the previous award and comes under and navigation services across Australia and New Zealand.
Viasat’s Communication Services segment, covers the continuation SouthPAN represents extraordinary potential for the region: It
of services from Viasat’s existing in-orbit satellites as well as a new can save lives by enabling precision safety tracking, help farmers
payload, marking a significant extension of Viasat’s partnership improve productivity through automated device tracking, and even
with both Governments. SouthPAN is delivered by Geoscience support transport management systems of the future. We have a
Australia in partnership with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information long history providing advanced PNT and safety services across
New Zealand, with early services available to both countries since the world, so we are of course excited to be expanding this work
2022. Melissa Harris, Chief Executive Officer, Geoscience Australia and collaboration with GA and LINZ.

China Launches New Group of Internet

Satellites

China successfully launched a new group of low Earth orbit
satellites from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern
island province of Hainan. This satellite group, the eighth of its
kind that will constitute an internet constellation, was launched at
2:43 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-5B carrier rocket,
featuring a Yuanzheng-2 (Expedition-2) upper stage at the top of
the rocket. The satellites successfully entered their preset orbit,
reports Xinhua. This launch marked the 588th mission of the Long
March series carrier rockets.

68 AUG-SEP 2025