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For many Western Australians, working in the space industry has always seemed out of reach. But now, with the release of the Binar-1 satellite from the International Space Station, the industry has finally come to our doorstep.

Measuring just 10cm³ and weighing one kilogram, is a CubeSat, a next-generation satellite substantially lighter and cheaper to launch than a traditional satellite, which can weigh up to seven tonnes. They offer the perfect entry point for WA research candidates to enter the space industry, with the hope that this will extend to schools who wish to with Curtin in the future.

We spoke to Curtin engineering graduates and PhD candidates Ben Hartig, Fergus Downey and Stuart Buchan to learn about how they reached this point in their career.

Binar-1 (rectangular object) was released into low Earth orbit from the International Space Station on 6 October, 17:20 AWST.

Project manager Ben Hartig

Ben Hartig (BEng Mechatronic Engineering, 2015), 36, was a little older than most of his peers when he began his Curtin undergraduate course. A few years earlier, Ben was a veteran traveller and a successful chef who had worked in Australia, internationally and at sea on medical aid missions.

鈥淚 felt like I was peaking, so I started thinking about what else would challenge me. I鈥檝e always loved maths, science and making things, and been fascinated by my granddad, who鈥檚 a draughtsman. It just became the clear path forward,鈥� says Ben.

The Binar team just after the deployment of the Binar-1 satellite.

After graduating, Ben worked on the , which tracks fallen meteorites using cameras strategically positioned around Australia. When the network expanded to , Ben used his logistics skills from working in kitchens to organise the network, making him the clear front-runner for Curtin鈥檚 then-infant space program.

Ben鈥檚 biggest challenge was preparing the paperwork to ensure the satellite was ready for deployment. He handled hundreds of pages filled with meticulously researched graphs, tables and diagrams, for each stage of development.

鈥淭hat level of scrutiny was difficult because even if you鈥檙e certain that your spacecraft will work, you now need to prove to a technical expert that it鈥檚 worth sending to space.鈥�

When it came to naming the program, Ben broke Western tradition of looking towards the Greek pantheon and instead looked towards WA鈥檚 history, suggesting 鈥�Binar鈥�, the Nyungar word for 鈥榝ireball鈥�, after consulting with the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.

鈥淏eing in Whadjuk Nyungar country, it felt obvious,鈥� he says.

Hardware engineer Fergus Downey

Responsible for Binar-1鈥檚 hardware, Fergus Downey (BEng Mechatronic Engineering, 2019) recalls the moment he was presented with a list of projects to work on for his honours year and saw the opportunity to help build the satellite.

鈥淚 put up my hand and attended a meeting with my tutor. He said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got six students and we鈥檒l put each of you on a main system of a satellite鈥� 鈥� just like that. Here I am three years later and I鈥檓 now working on my PhD,鈥� says Fergus.

Fergus Downey (left), pictured holding a CubeSat, has been instrumental in compressing the Binar-1 satellite.

Fergus, who grew up 鈥渦nder the stars鈥� at Lake Grace, 300 kilometres east of Perth, designed all mechanical facets of Binar-1, including the batteries and solar panel power system. One of his key tasks was to limit the amount of wasted space in the satellite, which he solved by centralising the printed circuit board (PCB).

鈥淭ypically, most CubeSat manufacturers have a PCB for each subsystem, which means you鈥檙e left with a small amount of space for your payload and you鈥檙e wasting money.

“We’ve compressed some of those layers into a single layer and placed the PCB at the top, which means a lot more space for the scientific equipment and we can do a lot more testing on our CubeSat in the future.”

The 25-year-old is hopeful that his work on Binar-1 will help cement WA鈥檚 place among the current of planetary science and exploration.

鈥淚 want to feel like WA and Australia can be part of going back to the Moon or to Mars, and I think it鈥檚 really important we鈥檙e building those skills here.鈥�

Software developer Stuart Buchan

Underpinning Binar-1 is the software engineered by Stuart Buchan (BEng Mechatronic Engineering, 2018). Stuart says he was in the 鈥渞ight place at the right time鈥� after his honours project, which involved miniaturising the radiometric cameras for the Desert Fireball Network, put him in contact with members of the program.

鈥淚 was finishing up my work on the cameras and said I鈥檇 be interested in doing a PhD on the satellite. Luckily, they accepted,鈥� says Stuart.

Stuart鈥檚 chief role has been analysing how to safely reuse the software between CubeSats with different payloads, since Binar鈥檚 ultimate objective is to launch six more CubeSats 鈥� Binar-2 to Binar-7 鈥� next year, as well as the Binar Prospector satellite to the Moon in 2025.

He has also been responsible for the qualifications testing required by Binar鈥檚 partner, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, by placing the satellite in a vacuum chamber and on a vibration table to see how well it would perform under distressing conditions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at a long-lasting program that can rapidly produce different spacecraft, which means we need to ensure that the underlying software is easy to maintain and that the CubeSat can survive conditions in space, as well as vibrations from the launch rocket.鈥�

Stuart Buchan (centre) and members of the team testing the satellite in a vacuum chamber.

Stuart, who credits his passion for space to being captivated by the news of the Voyager 1 probe leaving the Solar System in 2012, wants to ensure that future generations of Western Australians have the chance to pursue a career in the space industry.

Members of the Binar Program have already been involved in several local outreach initiatives, including a new exhibit in WA Museum Boola Bardip, which provides information about Binar-1 and invites students to imagine their place in space science and exploration.

鈥淔rom the conferences I鈥檝e been to, it sounds like space is going to be a very lucrative industry in Australia in the next two decades. There鈥檚 now no reason why students in our schools can鈥檛 end up in this field.鈥�

This is just the beginning鈥� The 鈥楤ig Binar鈥� exhibit at WA Museum Boola Bardip has already attracted hundreds of letters from budding scientists.