Western Australia’s Binar Space Program Secures Four-Year Funding Extension To 2030

The Binar Space Program, based at Curtin University in Perth, has secured funding from the Western Australian State Government for another four years through to 2030.

The program, which has deployed four satellites since it launched in 2017, will use the funding to expand its satellite missions across school engagement, industry partnerships and research. The funding is being delivered in partnership with Curtin University.

WA Minister for Science and Innovation Stephen Dawson confirmed the commitment, which extends the government’s existing support for the Curtin-based program.

Next generation of satellites

The program is now developing its next three spacecraft – Binar-5, Binar-6 and Binar-7 – which will carry eight experiments designed, built and delivered by WA high school students.

The three satellites will also test technologies for deep space missions and demonstrate Earth observation and navigation systems.

Unlike the program’s previous mission, which consisted of three identical 1U CubeSats, each of the new satellites carries a different payload.

Binar-5 will test a series of technologies and science experiments built by high school students through the BinarX Program. Binar-6 will test technologies developed by engineers and scientists at Curtin University. Binar-7 will trial a multispectral imaging system designed to monitor and assess the flammability of WA forest, expanding the program’s research into bushfire prediction using satellite data.

STEM pipeline from classroom to orbit

Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne welcomed the continued funding.

“It will help inspire and equip students from primary school through to postgraduate levels with valuable STEM skills, while strengthening our research capability and growing partnerships with WA space companies that are helping to shape the future of the industry,” Professor Hayne commented.

Binar Space Program Manager Dr Fergus Downey described the funding as support for the further development of WA’s space industry.

“We’re going to continue training the next generation of the space workforce right here in WA, expand our research capabilities to develop more advanced engineering systems for small satellites and open our doors to industry to diversify their businesses and expand the State’s space industry,” Dr Downey explained.

He acknowledged the lessons learnt from earlier missions.

“Previous missions have taught us that space is relentless, and we’ve learnt a lot of valuable lessons about how to test and prepare our satellites for orbit, as well as how to train the next generation of satellite engineers to design systems to work in these environments.”

Dr Downey added that upcoming missions would focus on identifying how the program can support WA industry to compete on a global level and expanding into bushfire prediction using satellite data.

A personal journey

Curtin PhD student Alex Conduit, 27, has been involved with the Binar Space Program since his undergraduate mechatronic engineering studies and is now a postgraduate candidate.

“As a high school student interested in STEM, I would stare at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my bedroom ceiling and wonder how I might be able to help take humanity into space one day,” Conduit recalled.

He described his time on the program, from undergraduate to doctoral research, as a defining experience in his career.

From three years to 18 months

The program has shortened its production timeline. Where Binar-1 and the second mission of Binar-2, -3 and -4 each took three years to build and deliver, the latest trio of Binar-5, -6 and -7 were built and delivered in 18 months.

Binar-1 was the first spacecraft bus designed and built entirely in Western Australia, developed by students and staff at Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre.

What is a CubeSat

The Binar satellites are classified as 1U CubeSats, measuring 11.5cm x 10cm x 10cm and weighing approximately 1.33 KG. CubeSats can come in a range of sizes, commonly 1U, 3U, 6U or 12U.

The Binar CubeSat structure is made from aluminium, with internal circuit boards made from copper and a material called FR4, a type of fibreglass.

The name Binar, pronounced “BIN-nah”, is the Noongar word for “Fireball”.

About Curtin University

Curtin University has close to 67,000 students and operates from its main campus in Perth, a regional campus in Kalgoorlie, a campus in Midland and five international campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Staff and students come from Australia and more than 140 other countries.

The university is ranked in the top one per cent of universities worldwide and holds a QS Five Stars Plus rating.

Last Updated on July 9, 2026 by Nick Ross