⁍ The Djara satellite is scheduled to be deployed from the International Space Station early next month.

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⁍ The tie-up between a commercial satellite company and a government agency is the first of its type in Australia.

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⁍ Australia, a vast continent in Asia-Pacific, is an important site for ground stations.

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– Australia’s Office of National Intelligence is sending a small satellite to the International Space Station next month as part of an experiment with new satellite technology, Reuters reports. “While Djara is not at operational capability, it will provide the Australian national intelligence community the ability to explore the potential applications of commercially available small satellite systems,” San Francisco-based space data and analytics company Spire Global says in a statement. The Djara satellite—named for the indigenous Ngunnawal people of Australia’s capital, Canberra—will provide information on aircraft and marine vessel tracking, as well as weather forecasts. The Australian government recently set up its own space agency and also nominated the sector at last week’s budget as one it will support through funding measures. Australia, a vast continent in Asia-Pacific, is an important site for ground stations, used for space missions and by satellite operators to communicate with their orbiting hardware. A West Australian ground station is among several around the world that will no longer allow access to Chinese customers after current contracts expire due to geopolitical concerns, Reuters reported in September. Spire’s small satellites obtain data by tracking planes, ships, and other vessels, while also providing information that helps with the analysis of weather patterns and forecasts. The company said the Djara satellite was named in honor of the indigenous Ngunnawal people of Australia’s capital, Canberra. Djara is a Ngunnawal word for stars.