Skykraft, a space-enabled Air Traffic Management (ATM) service provider, has completed a planned funding round. This investment will provide over AUD100 million to take Skykraft through to the deployment of the initial air traffic management constellation in 2025.
Skykraft aims to unlock significant efficiency gains and capability improvements by enabling surveillance capabilities and communications from space.
Skykraft’s new investors include :
- Foresight Australia, the local subsidiary of the UK-listed fund manager;
- OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest pension funds; and
- Main Sequence, Australia’s deep tech investment fund founded by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO.
The experience of these investors will support the roll-out of Skykraft’s air traffic management infrastructure, including a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low-earth orbit. This infrastructure will provide global air traffic management with space-based VHF communications and surveillance, allowing aircraft to follow more efficient flight paths. These flight paths offer reduced operating costs and lower environmental impact (CO2 emissions), providing a compelling value proposition for a comprehensive space-enabled ATM service, says the press release.
Building on the successful launch of 10 satellites in 2023, Skykraft plans to launch further satellites in 2024 to complete final in-orbit testing prior to the roll-out of the initial constellation of satellites in 2025. Skykraft is working with global Air Navigation Service Providers on service customisation to ensure that the system design meets operational and safety requirements.
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