Surveillance company Silentium Defence on Thursday launched its Oculus Observatory near the town of Brownlow northeast of Adelaide, capital city of the state of SA.
The facility uses Silentium's Maverick S-Series device to monitor wide tracts of space for debris and satellites by using existing transmissions such as FM radio waves.
James Palmer, chief executive of Silentium, said other technologies could be used to track objects in space but are more expensive than the Maverick device.
He said the company's goal is to build a network of "wide field of view" observatories around the world, delivering comprehensive coverage for defense and commercial customers.
"For customers, this means we will detect and track objects they expect to see, like satellites and catalogued debris, as well as new and unknown objects that may pose a threat to critical services or assets in space," Palmer told News Corp Australia.
"Not only do our sensors detect those objects, but because of our coverage, they maintain visibility and tracking for significantly longer. More observation time creates better information for space operators to make informed decisions about what an object is, where it's headed, whether it poses a threat and what action to take."
SA has become the home of Australia's growing space industry since Adelaide was chosen as the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency in 2018.
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