iscover
The Australian government has formally released a new request for information for the previously “scrapped” JP9102 under a “new” project name, but not a lot appears to have changed in the objectives and capabilities sought, leaving serious questions about what exactly has changed.
Defence Connect can officially reveal that the government has formally released a “new look” request for information (RFI) on AusTender to provide the Australian Defence Force with a resilient and sovereign satellite communications (SATCOM) capability under the project name SPA9102.
This “backflip” comes just months after the Australian government formally “cancelled” the prior incarnation, the $3 billion JP9102, when Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles claimed that the government was seeking a “change of direction, not [a] cancellation”.
As part of this “change of direction”, the government raised significant concerns about the resilience and survivability of the proposed single-orbit GEO-based (geostationary) system failed to “meet strategic priorities”, seeking to pivot towards a “multi-orbit capability” while the ADF’s current SATCOM capabilities supported immediate operational requirements.
At the time, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told Defence Connect, that the “IIP provision for this project hasn’t been touched” and that the “money still resides” in the 2024 Integrated Investment Program (IIP).
Minister Conroy said at the time: “We’ve ceased the procurement activity, and we have focused on looking at other technology solutions, and that is, to be quite frank, because of the growing counter space threats ... I’ve been frustrated and annoyed by some of the commentary out there, by people who just don’t have access to the classified briefings, who profess to be greater experts on this area than the ADF, who might be trying to sell their particular commercial technology or have a view.”
At the time, this was met with widespread industry angst, confusion and distrust of the government’s objectives moving forward, with industry partners of all sizes expressing significant concerns about the future direction the government was seeking to travel in.
SPA9102 reflects a more refined and segmented approach, and could be argued as a “cheaper solution” to solve an immediate need, representing a breaking up of mission requirements, with SPA9102 intended to evolve the ADF’s existing space capabilities through targeted enhancements, rather than a wholesale procurement.
As it stands, the RFI states: “Defence has a need for a UHF band payload in a geostationary orbital slot”, seeming to directly conflict with the earlier statements made by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, indicating that there is an urgent operational requirement, despite the earlier statements that existing platforms both solely military and dual-use could fulfil the ADF’s operational requirements.
Furthermore, the RFI is focused on informing planning, not yet defining specific procurement parameters such as “one satellite” versus “a constellation”, leaving room for industry to propose solutions that could include:
- A standalone narrowband satellite.
- A hosted payload on a multipurpose platform.
- A distributed architecture of small/nano satellites.
- Or leveraging allied constellations with sovereign enhancements.
Regardless the need for a “UHF band payload in a geostationary orbital slot” seems to directly conflict with the government’s previous statements, with the real knock-out blow coming in Annex A, which states, as part of the information to be provided by the respondents, “Respondents should note that ‘resiliency’ throughout this RFI refers to features to protect the communications of a single UHF satellite in geostationary orbit from EMI (Electromagnetic Interference).”
This leaves one wondering, why now is a single satellite, in a single orbit now less vulnerable and seen as the viable and urgently needed solution?
The current request for information (RFI) focuses specifically on narrowband SATCOM, as a discrete and separate component of Defence’s broader SATCOM architecture, marking a a move away from monolithic acquisition models and towards a modular, phased development path that can adapt more flexibly to threat evolution, technological change, and Defence’s integrated force design priorities.
It should be noted that while SPA9102 is not currently a procurement activity, it is a market exploration effort aimed at gathering industry insight to inform future planning. This differs from JP9102, which sought to immediately field a complete system. SPA9102 begins with an RFI focused on understanding what the Australian and international industry base can deliver in the narrowband SATCOM domain.
More to come.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
