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Australia's SpIRIT nanosatellite has successfully completed the initial phase of its mission, marking a milestone achievement for Australia's place and reputation in the global space industry.

Led by the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal nanosatellite—known as "SpIRIT"—is the first space telescope to carry a foreign space agency's scientific instrument as its main payload.

Since its launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California in December 2023, SpIRIT has circled Earth more than 9,000 times—traveling a distance comparable to a round trip between Earth and Mars—and has been in orbit for over 600 days.

Principal Investigator, University of Melbourne Professor Michele Trenti said SpIRIT's successful commissioning period is a true milestone for Australian technological advancements and space capabilities.

"SpIRIT is a complex satellite designed and built in Australia, with many components flying for the first time and hosting a scientific instrument contributed by the Italian Space Agency," Professor Trenti said.

"Now that SpIRIT has completed rigorous testing in space, we are confident it's ready to commence the next phase of its mission, which is truly exciting."

Expected to remain in orbit for more than 1,000 days in total, SpIRIT's core mission will now transition from testing flight capabilities and Australian space technology to scientific observation.

SpIRIT will be scanning large areas of space using its HERMES X-ray detector to spot cosmic explosions called gamma ray bursts, which are created when stars collide or die. These explosions are unpredictable and difficult to spot, like a needle in a haystack.

Acting as an early warning system, SpIRIT will alert astronomers to a gamma ray burst event for further investigation.

The completion of the first phase of SpIRIT's mission was marked with the deployment of its winged thermal management system and selfie stick, which it used to take a 'selfie' in space.

The image, beamed back to Earth, showed the nanosatellite crested in emblems of partners who made its mission possible.

SpIRIT's unique wings, designed by the University of Melbourne, helps keep the space telescope cool and increase science performance. Now in its final configuration, the spacecraft measures almost a meter in size.

Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo welcomed the milestone and transition to the next phase of the mission.

"The SpIRIT mission has demonstrated the capability that exists within the Australian space sector—from building the satellite and testing new technologies in orbit and on ground, to hosting international science payloads and successfully completing its initial phase," Palermo said.

"I commend the team, and our colleagues at the Italian Space Agency, on their persistent long-duration operations in space. SpIRIT is a great example of the mutual benefit that comes from collaborating in space."

"The result confirms the excellence of Italian space science, capable of producing technologically advanced equipment, and at the same time reaffirms the strong strategic value of scientific collaboration between the Italian Space Agency and its Australian counterpart," said Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency.

"The SpIRIT satellite carries on board a prototype detector, built entirely in Italy under the guidance of INAF. The nominal operation of this miniaturized instrument, which has successfully completed the commissioning phase, has been demonstrated by pointing at the Crab gamma pulsar, detected with only 700 seconds of observation."