Australia cancels Lockheed Martin military satellite project

4/11/2024 12:20

        Australia has cancelled a multi-billion dollar military satellite project with Lockheed Martin, with a Department of Defence statement on Monday saying the military will instead shift its focus to a multi-orbit system.
        
        Lockheed Martin Australia was announced as the preferred tenderer last year for the Geostationary Earth Orbit satellite communications system, in a project that was to deliver Australia’s first sovereign-controlled satellite communication system over the Indo-Pacific ocean regions.
        
        The project for a single orbit satellite with Lockheed Martin had been cancelled, the Department of Defence said in a statement on Monday.
        
        "With the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project's commencement, Defence has assessed that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities," the statement said.
        
        It said Australia would instead prioritise a multi-orbit capability to increase resilience for the Australian Defence Force.