Australia Cancels Lockheed Martin Satellite Project

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has cancelled a multi-billion dollar military satellite project with Lockheed Martin. A statement from the Department of Defence on Monday confirmed that the military will now focus on a multi-orbit system.

Lockheed Martin Australia was initially selected as the preferred tenderer last year for the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite communications system, which aimed to provide Australia’s first sovereign-controlled satellite communication system over the Indo-Pacific ocean regions.

The cancellation of the single orbit satellite project was confirmed by the Department of Defence.

> "With the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project’s commencement, Defence has assessed that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities," the statement indicated.

Instead, Australia will prioritize a multi-orbit capability to enhance resilience for the Australian Defence Force.

In a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that while Australia's defence budget is increasing, his government is carefully prioritizing its purchases.

Although the Lockheed Martin project was announced as a "multi billion dollar" deal last year, the Defence statement did not specify the project's exact value. However, it mentioned that A$9-12 billion ($13.87 billion) is still allocated for space capabilities.

> ($1 = 1.5135 Australian dollars)