Satellite tracking will soon increase in Central Australia, with a European aerospace company building a new Geotracker station featuring an optical telescope in Alice Springs.

Key points: The tracker, featuring a three-metre tall clamshell, will be built at the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT)

The tracker, featuring a three-metre tall clamshell, will be built at the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT) It is the third ground station to be built at the site; two others are currently used by GeoScience Australia

It is the third ground station to be built at the site; two others are currently used by GeoScience Australia CfAT says it is not sure yet how the gathered satellite data will be use

The tracker, paid for by international company ArianeGroup, will consist of multiple instruments encased in a 3-metre-tall clamshell observatory dome and will automatically track satellites using the telescope.

It is the latest addition to an already existing ground station at the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), a not-for-profit Aboriginal-owned technology company.

The centre's CEO, Peter Renehan, said Alice Springs was the ideal location for the trackers, given its frequently clear skies.

"What's exciting for us, it just shows that an Aboriginal organisation based in Alice Springs is showing leadership around these sorts of technologies and around the impact it can have," Mr Renehan said.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for us, the Northern Territory Government introduced us to the ArianeGroup and we were quite willing to enter into negotiations and discussions with them around developing the telescope and tracker on our site.

"I think it really puts us on the map here in Central Australia, [it says that] we can do anything from the Northern Territory, we don't have to be in the cities to have impact right across the world."

The tracker, paid for by ArianeGroup, will consist of multiple instruments encased in a 3-metre-tall clamshell observatory dome. ( ABC News: Katrina Beavan )

Ground station expands

Mr Renehan said the figure that ArianeGroup paid for the new infrastructure is commercial in confidence, and he was not sure yet how their gathered satellite data will be used.

"We're still going through negotiations with Ariane around how that will work, but we're proud to be in a relationship with Ariane Group and the Northern Territory Government to make this happen," he said.

The new infrastructure will be built alongside existing GeoScience Australia's satellite ground station and a commercial satellite ground station.

The latter was announced last year, when Indigenous Business Australia provided a $6-million loan for global communications company Viasat to build its own satellite dish.

That dish, which is still under construction, will also be used to track satellites, with the data being used for scientific research, environmental monitoring and commercial uses.

CfAT CEO Peter Renehan (pictured, second from left, with Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Member for Braitling Dale Wakefield) says this latest investment in satellite monitoring in central Australia will put Alice Springs on the map. ( ABC News: Katrina Beavan )

Sunny skies a drawcard, not defence connections

Mr Renehan said international interest in satellite tracking in the area had nothing to do with the nearby joint defence facility known as Pine Gap, though both companies building the trackers at CfAT have defence connections.

ArianeGroupe's website stated it has worked on military space launchers, and its subsidiaries were responsible for the design and production chain for the missiles of the French oceanic deterrent force.

Viasat's website also stated it provides "fast, reliable communications in the fog of war".

"Viasat helps warfighters and commanders access and share trusted intel from any location to make better decisions faster," it read. "Military forces around the world counts on us for secure satellite and wireless networking systems and services that deliver reliable, affordable communications beyond the reach of traditional wired connections."

Chief Minister Michael Gunner reiterated that the trackers had nothing to do with Pine Gap, and said his understanding was that the ground stations were being used to track weather and communication satellites only.

He also said a new $7-million upgrade planned for the fibre optic network in the Northern Territory would allow commercial companies to handle and process large amounts of data easier, encouraging more investment.

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