Defence backs Australian STARS system for autonomous space threat detection

by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 06, 2026

Space Machines Company (SMC) has been awarded a 2.9 million Australian dollar contract by Defence's Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) to develop the Space Threat Analysis and Response System, or STARS, under the Emerging and Disruptive Technologies Decision Advantage program. The capability is intended to strengthen the protection of Australian and allied space assets in increasingly contested orbits by improving threat detection and response planning.

STARS is being developed to enhance Australia's space situational awareness by predicting close approaches, rendezvous and proximity operations windows, and potential interference with Australian and allied spacecraft by other objects in low Earth orbit. The system is planned for integration into space command-and-control environments such as SMC's Solstice OS, which is used to manage spacecraft fleets and on-demand orbital services.

"The dynamic nature of the space environment demands automated systems capable of processing complex data and generating actionable intelligence at unprecedented speeds. STARS addresses a critical need for enhanced space domain awareness through autonomous analysis and response planning. By developing this sovereign capability in Australia, we are contributing to the resilience of the allied space defence industrial base whilst advancing the science and technology priorities outlined in the National Defence Strategy." said Rajat Kulshrestha, CEO and Co-Founder of Space Machines Company.

Over the 24-month contract period, the project will take STARS from a conceptual technology to a working prototype. By ingesting data from ground-based space domain awareness systems and commercial data providers, the system is intended to support rapid decision-making in orbital environments where objects can travel at roughly 28,000 kilometres per hour and response opportunities are measured in minutes.

Once the prototype phase is complete, SMC plans to embed STARS into the Solstice OS platform to support coordination of a fleet of Optimus Viper Rapid Response Vehicles. That integration is aimed at enabling on-orbit manoeuvres and services that are aligned with threat assessments generated by STARS.

The system will apply artificial intelligence and data analytics to predict when interference may occur and to characterise potential threats in near real time. STARS is intended to assess the threat environment for specific satellites, generate response options, and prioritise the protection of Australian and allied space systems while providing continuous situational awareness to decision-makers.

According to SMC, the STARS prototype is a first significant step toward an operational capability that can then be offered to allied partners through the Solstice OS platform. Coalition forces would be able to feed their own intelligence sources into the system for threat detection and analysis while coordinating protective responses, supporting Australia's participation in allied multi-domain operations.

Rajat Kulshrestha concluded: "Space Machines Company's selection for the STARS project reflects the company's established expertise in autonomous spacecraft operations and command and control systems for distributed space assets. SMC's development of technologies that integrate real-time data processing, mission planning and fleet coordination provides the foundation for advanced threat analysis capabilities that can operate at the speed and scale required for modern space domain awareness."