Australia has officially joined the US-led Landsat Next satellite program. This marks a new chapter in a nearly 50-year partnership in satellite land imaging.
At the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a bilateral statement, formally including Australia in the Landsat Next Earth observation mission.
Set to launch in 2031, this program will continue the decades-long collaboration in Earth observation between Geoscience Australia and the United States Geological Survey.
Australia is committing $207.4 million to the Landsat Next agreement over the next four years. This will enable Geoscience Australia to enhance its data processing and analytics capabilities.
Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King emphasised that this partnership will secure Australia’s access to next-generation Landsat satellite data. This data will provide the clearest imagery of our planet.
“It is an investment in science that will improve our understanding of our country and our region,” she said.
“The data will be important for industries such as agriculture and mining and will be an essential tool in managing natural disasters.
“Investment in publicly available and free geoscience data is a critical element in increasing the productivity of our resources and agriculture sectors for generations to come.”
Wong highlighted that this partnership builds on nearly half a century of collaboration in Earth observation.
“The satellite data delivered through this partnership will not only be of benefit to our two countries, but its critical insights will help the Indo-Pacific to optimise food security and agricultural production, improve urban infrastructure planning, and prepare for disasters,” she said.