Last night, the Trace & Track sequencing protocol was successfully tested at the Andamooka Observatory, marking another exciting milestone in Australia’s growing role in global space innovation.
Since 2017, Andamooka Observatory and Woomera Observatory have collaborated through the Southern Cross Outback Observatories Project (SCOOP) on citizen science and space technology initiatives that connect Outback South Australia with international research frontiers.
SCOOP is co-founded and led by Dr Muhammad Akbar Hussain and Dr Muhammad Mehdi Hussain, Directors of Mareekh Dynamics (engineering solutions for human habitation on Mars). Their work spans space debris detection, Mars-adapted engineering, and advanced optical observatory design, demonstrating how remote and regional observatories can contribute to frontier-level research.
In a significant achievement, the Southern Cross Outback Observatories Project has been awarded its first U.S. patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its groundbreaking Trace, Track and Tackle sequence. This detection-refinement protocol enables optical identification and active debris removal (ADR) of 1–10 cm low-Earth-orbit (LEO) debris—one of the most dangerous and hardest-to-track threats to satellites and spacecraft.
A prototype has already successfully characterised an 11 cm debris fragment during the detection phase. Current work is advancing the Tracer phase, improving precision tracking through dynamic triangulation using synchronised mobile observatories across the Australian Outback.
This technology represents a significant step toward unprecedented optical tracking accuracy and lays the groundwork for future orbital capture or laser-based ADR systems, helping protect spacecraft, satellites, and the long-term sustainability of Earth’s orbital environment.
