Australia has formally joined the US-led Landsat Next satellite program as part of a partnership in satellite land imaging that has lasted nearly half a century.
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the bilateral statement at the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), officially including Australia in the Landsat Next Earth observation mission.
The program will launch in 2031 and will continue the near half a century of earth observation collaboration between Geoscience and the United States Geological Survey.
Australia will commit $207.4 million to the Landsat Next agreement over the next four years, allowing Geoscience Australia to develop data processing and analytics capabilities.
Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King said the partnership will ensure Australia has access to the next generation of Landsat satellite data to deliver the clearest images of the 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 said the partnership builds on nearly half a century of cooperation 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.
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