SpaceTech startup Spiral Blue delivers payload for Australia’s first ride-share mission

James Buttenshaw (Spiral Blue)  and Patrick Oppel (Waratah Seed) with the SE-1 payload.

Spiral Blue have announced the delivery of their SE-1 payload to Waratah Seed – Australia’s first ride-share mission – flying an Australian-built 6U CubeSat into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher in February 2024.

SE-1 is the latest Space Edge Computer developed by Spiral Blue. The history making, AI enabled computer is solving the downlink problem by conducting analysis on board satellites in real time, including bushfire detection, vessel detection, canopy mapping, water body mapping, cloud clipping, image compression and cropping. The first SE-1 computer developed by Spiral Blue launched in January 2023 is the most powerful computer in space, outside of a space station, as well as the first edge computer in history to be successfully developed and operated in space by an Australian company.

“The fact that Waratah Seed is a wholly Australian mission is extremely exciting. To be developing this capability in Australia is amazing and it’s an honour to be a part of that,” said James Buttenshaw, Spiral Blue CTO.

Spiral Blue stated that they are excited to bring their expertise in space edge computing, and AI as part of this pioneering mission.