AUSTRALIA’S border security will get a tech upgrade next year when the country launches a satellite with the capacity to spy on asylum seeker boats or detect threats approaching by sea.

Three new satellites that will assist the Australian Defence Force are being developed by the University of New South Wales’ Canberra space team on a $10 million federal government contract, the ABC reports.

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Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne told the national broadcaster data collected from the satellites could assist military spy planes with their work and help detect asylum seeker boats.

“To ensure that whatever is in our waters north of Australia, or coming towards Australia, is something that we see before they are in a position to do us any danger, or indeed support the current surveillance operations that interdict people smuggling or illegal fishing,” Mr Pyne said.

University of New South Wales Canberra space director Professor Russell Boyce said the satellites would have optical telescopes and cameras, as well as the software to find radio signals.

“It’s got an on-board capability to listen to objects on the surface of the earth, in particular we are interested in ships, so it’s assisting the defence force in maritime surveillance,” Professor Boyce said.

The report comes just days after it was announced Australia would finally establish a space agency and the first asylum seekers to be resettled in the United States left Manus Island and Nauru.

The first of the three satellites, known as Cubesat, will be launched next year.