Launched in December 2023, SpIRIT is a landmark Australian nanosatellite. It’s a collaborative industry mission led by the University of Melbourne, bringing together some of the most advanced satellite technology Australia currently has to offer. It's supported by close to $7 million of grant funding from the Australian Space Agency. And it’s also an international cooperation - SpIRIT is carrying the HERMES x-ray detector from the Italian Space Agency, designed to locate high-energy gamma ray bursts in space that occur when stars die and become black holes.

Just shy of halfway through the two years it will spend in orbit, SpIRIT has marked some key achievements, and there's much more to look forward to as it showcases its range of Australian innovations to the world.

Our featured guests for this episode are Professor Michele Trenti (University of Melbourne) and Simone Pirrotta (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana - Italian Space Agency).