LatConnect60 SWIRSAT Satellite Constellation

History

SWIRSAT is a planned Australian low-Earth-orbit Earth-observation constellation developed by LatConnect60. The system is intended to combine short-wave infrared imaging with high-resolution visible and near-infrared imagery for carbon-emissions monitoring, agriculture, resource management, environmental observation, and security applications.

The initial mission design combines a Dragonfly Aerospace Chameleon short-wave infrared imager with a Simera Sense MultiScape200 optical payload. Onboard computing is intended to process imagery in orbit and reduce the time required to turn sensor data into usable information.

LatConnect60 has anchored technology development, payload integration, and manufacturing work in Western Australia. In 2026, the company also reported an industrial expansion involving Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, although the available announcement did not define the complete responsibilities assigned to each location.

In April 2024, the Australian Government awarded LatConnect60 AUD 5.78 million through the International Space Investment India Projects program. The funding supported cooperation with Indian space companies and development of the SWIRSAT mission.

Spiral Blue was selected in June 2024 to supply three Space Edge 1 onboard computers. In November, Gilmour Space announced that its ElaraSat spacecraft bus would support the planned SWIRSAT series. This configuration was described as a 100 kg-class platform with sufficient payload capacity for the mission's infrared and optical instruments.

Dragonfly Aerospace was selected in January 2025 to provide three Chameleon short-wave infrared imagers. These instruments were intended primarily to measure atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide, with additional applications in agriculture and disaster monitoring.

In February 2025, LatConnect60 selected Simera Sense to supply a MultiScape200 high-resolution multispectral payload. The instrument was to be delivered to Australia for integration and testing. Simera Sense reported that the mission was then scheduled for launch in India in December 2026. The payload selection and its planned 1.5 m ground sampling distance were described by Simera Sense.

Earlier public descriptions presented SWIRSAT as an initial three-satellite mission using identical ElaraSat platforms. By May 2026, however, LatConnect60 was describing a broader program. The company stated that it aimed to deploy an 18-satellite short-wave infrared constellation and potentially expand it to 100 satellites by 2035. This remained a development objective rather than an operational fleet.

LatConnect60 opened a space integration facility at Edith Cowan University in Perth on 21 May 2026. The facility was intended to support integration and testing of SWIRSAT-2. Contemporary reporting identified different spacecraft arrangements for the first two missions: SWIRSAT-1 used a Gilmour Space bus, while SWIRSAT-2 incorporated a NanoAvionics bus. This indicates that the program had evolved beyond the earlier description of three identical spacecraft.

As of May 2026, SWIRSAT-1 and SWIRSAT-2 were reported to be in the final stages of development, with launches targeted by the end of the first quarter of 2027. SWIRSAT-1 was associated with a planned Skyroot Aerospace launch, while SWIRSAT-2 was assigned to a SpaceX mission. A separate 2026 program account described the first launches as scheduled for late 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.

The United Arab Emirates became relevant to the program through cooperation between LatConnect60 and the UAE-based company Space42. The companies planned to combine synthetic-aperture radar, optical, and SWIR data for geospatial intelligence. This agreement represented a data and capability partnership, not evidence that the UAE operated a SWIRSAT spacecraft.

Design

Mission architecture

The documented initial SWIRSAT architecture was designed for a 500 km orbit with an inclination of 45 degrees. Its principal sensing layer combines short-wave infrared data with visible and near-infrared imagery. The two sensor types provide complementary information: the optical payload supplies detailed reference imagery, while the SWIR instrument detects spectral characteristics associated with gases, moisture, materials, and surface conditions.

LatConnect60 initially emphasized carbon-emissions measurement. Intended uses include detecting and quantifying methane and carbon dioxide, monitoring carbon sequestration, and supporting emissions-reduction programs. Other stated applications include crop and soil-moisture assessment, biomass monitoring, resource management, water-scarcity observation, disaster response, maritime surveillance, infrastructure monitoring, and detection of changes obscured by haze, smoke, or camouflage.

Spacecraft

The initial configuration used Gilmour Space's ElaraSat bus. The platform was described as approximately 0.6 m long, 0.6 m wide, and 0.5 m high, with a mass of about 100 kg and a 72U payload capacity. Communications equipment included an X-band antenna for payload-data transmission and two S-band antennas for telemetry, tracking, and command.

Electrical power was to be supplied by body-mounted and deployable solar panels connected to an onboard storage, control, and distribution system. The attitude determination and control equipment included a sun sensor, star trackers, an Earth-horizon sensor, and a GPS antenna. A drag sail was included to support deorbiting after the mission.

The reported use of a NanoAvionics bus for SWIRSAT-2 means these ElaraSat characteristics should not be applied automatically to every later SWIRSAT spacecraft.

Chameleon SWIR imager

The Dragonfly Aerospace Chameleon SWIR is a nadir-scanning multispectral radiometer. The instrument measures approximately 100 by 100 by 215 mm, has a mass of 1.6 kg, and observes four short-wave infrared bands across a combined wavelength range of 1,000 to 1,750 nm.

For the documented 500 km orbital configuration, the instrument was listed with an 11.2 km swath and 8.7 m spatial resolution. Later 2026 descriptions of the developing constellation cited a target SWIR resolution of approximately 4 m. These values represent different reported stages or configurations of the program and should not be treated as interchangeable specifications.

The imager can produce 8-bit or 10-bit data and includes 128 GB of storage. Its stated operating power is below 7 W, falling below 5 W in readout mode. The specified operating temperature range is +10 to +30 degrees Celsius, with survival temperatures from -20 to +55 degrees Celsius.

MultiScape200 optical imager

The Simera Sense MultiScape200 is a pushbroom optical imager using a CMOS global-shutter detector. It combines one panchromatic channel covering 500 to 750 nm with eight visible and near-infrared channels covering 450 to 900 nm. The instrument has a 1,067 mm focal length, a 190 mm aperture, 9,344-pixel cross-track resolution, 3.2 micrometre pixels, and 12-bit pixel depth.

At the planned 500 km orbit, MultiScape200 was specified to provide a 1.5 m ground sampling distance across a 14 km swath. It supports up to 32 digital time-delay-integration stages per band to improve sensitivity and image quality. The sensor provides detailed base maps and visual context for interpreting the SWIR observations.

Onboard processing

The documented ElaraSat-based missions were to carry Spiral Blue's Space Edge 1 computer. Based on the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX architecture, it incorporates a 384-core Volta graphics processor and a six-core Carmel central processor. The system was rated at 6 TFLOPS of processing performance.

The computer measures approximately 25 by 96 by 90 mm and weighs about 0.25 kg. Its stated power consumption is 3 W while idle and up to 20 W at peak demand. LatConnect60 intends to use onboard artificial-intelligence processing to reduce data volume and shorten the interval between image collection and delivery of analytical results.

Program status

SWIRSAT remained under development in the available 2026 reporting and was not an operational constellation. SWIRSAT-1 and SWIRSAT-2 were being prepared as the first spacecraft, with launch milestones planned for late 2026 and no later than the first quarter of 2027. The larger 18-satellite constellation and proposed expansion to 100 spacecraft by 2035 remained company objectives dependent on additional development and funding.

LatConnect60 was seeking between USD 5 million and USD 20 million in growth funding in May 2026. Integration activity was being established at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, while the program also pursued international launch, payload, data-fusion, and industrial partnerships. The changing spacecraft arrangements reported for SWIRSAT-1 and SWIRSAT-2 show that the final constellation configuration had not yet become uniform.

Variants

• SWIRSAT-1: Planned first mission using a microsatellite bus built by Gilmour Space in Queensland. Reported payload suppliers include Dragonfly Aerospace and Simera Sense. Launch was planned with Skyroot Aerospace.
• SWIRSAT-2: Planned second mission to be integrated and tested at the Edith Cowan University facility in Perth. The reported configuration combines a NanoAvionics bus with a Dragonfly Aerospace camera and was assigned to a SpaceX launch mission.
• Expanded SWIR constellation: Proposed operational network of 18 satellites, with a longer-term company objective of as many as 100 spacecraft by 2035. Detailed configurations for these later satellites have not been published in the supplied evidence.

Specifications (planned ElaraSat dual-sensor configuration)

General characteristics

• Mission type: Low-Earth-orbit Earth observation
• Planned orbital altitude: 500 km
• Planned inclination: 45 degrees
• Spacecraft bus: Gilmour Space ElaraSat
• Approximate spacecraft dimensions: 0.6 by 0.6 by 0.5 m
• Approximate spacecraft mass: 100 kg
• Payload capacity: 72U
• Payload communications: X-band
• Telemetry, tracking, and command: Two S-band antennas
• Onboard computer: Spiral Blue Space Edge 1
• Onboard processing performance: 6 TFLOPS

Chameleon SWIR imager

• Type: Nadir-scanning multispectral radiometer
• Spectral coverage: Four SWIR bands across 1,000 to 1,750 nm
• Documented spatial resolution: 8.7 m at 500 km
• Swath width: 11.2 km
• Dimensions: 100 by 100 by 215 mm
• Mass: 1.6 kg
• Storage: 128 GB
• Operating power: Less than 7 W

MultiScape200 optical imager

• Type: Multispectral pushbroom imager
• Spectral channels: One panchromatic and eight VNIR bands
• Spectral coverage: 450 to 900 nm for VNIR channels; 500 to 750 nm for the panchromatic channel
• Ground sampling distance: 1.5 m at 500 km
• Swath width: 14 km
• Focal length: 1,067 mm
• Aperture: 190 mm
• Detector resolution: 9,344 pixels
• Pixel size: 3.2 micrometres
• Pixel depth: 12 bit