Australia has canceled a multibillion-dollar military satellite project with Lockheed Martin (LMT.N). According to a statement from the country's Ministry of Defense, the military will instead shift its focus to a multi-orbital system. UNN writes about this with reference to Reuters.
Details
The project to launch a single-orbit satellite with Lockheed Martin, which was supposed to provide Australia's first satellite communications system with sovereign control over the Indo-Pacific Ocean, was canceled.
Due to the accelerated development of space technology and the evolution of threats in space since the project began, the Ministry of Defense assessed that a single-orbit geostationary satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities
Instead, Australia will prefer a multi-orbital system to increase the resilience of the Australian armed forces.
In a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that while Australia's defense budget is growing, his government is prioritizing its procurement.
Add
Last year, the Australian company Lockheed Martin was announced as the winner of the tender for the creation of a satellite communication system in the geostationary earth orbit (GEO) as part of this project.
At the time, the government claimed that this was a "multi-billion dollar deal." However, the Defense Ministry has now said it will still allocate more than $13 billion for space capabilities.
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