Australia to conclude research on building resilient satcom networks

Array testing taking place within an anechoic chamber as part of a CogSat project demonstration in August 2025. (SmartSat CRC)

Australian government-funded SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is set to complete a research project that is exploring ways of developing more robust satellite communications (satcom) for defence forces.

A SmartSat CRC spokesperson told Janes thatthis research project called the Cognitive Satellite Radios (CogSat) project is scheduled to conclude in December 2025. “The CogSat project will showcase how cognitive and adaptive technologies can make satcom networks more resilient, efficient, and spectrum-aware,” the spokesperson said.

SmartSat has previously said the CogSat project aims to assess the potential of integrating “sensing, learning, thinking, and adaptive functionalities through software-defined radios (SDRs) and agile algorithms” to enhance satcom capabilities.

The spokesperson said that in addition to providing core funding to implement this project, SmartSat “brought together a … network of partners who contributed substantial in-kind expertise and resources” to the project. SmartSat partnered with four domestic universities – Deakin University, Macquarie University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, and the University of Technology Sydney – for this project.

The spokesperson said, “The three-year collaboration is developing two advanced hardware testbeds. The first, focused on defence applications, demonstrates how satellite systems can maintain secure, high-performance communications in congested and contested environments by autonomously detecting and avoiding interference.”

“The second explores dynamic spectrum sharing between defence and commercial operators –proving how geostationary (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) networks can safely coexist and maximise use of scarce radio frequencies.