Perth, Western Australia — 21 May 2026 — LatConnect 60 (LC60), an Australian Earth observation and AI company, announced its growth investment round that is in-progress to accelerate development plans for a proliferated, Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) satellite constellation with the highest resolution globally, designed for dual-use applications at the ECU–LC60 opening of Edith Cowan University’s new Space Integration Facility. The event was graced by the presence of Caitlin Collins parliamentary secretary to WA Minister for Defence Industries, US and Japan Consul Generals, Colleen Alstock and Atsushi Karimata.
This growth investment round builds on significant initial funding from the Australian Space Agency and the Western Australian Government, enabling LC60 to move from its first two SWIRSAT missions to an 18-satellite constellation, before expanding toward a planned 100-satellite network by 2035. Investors under late-stage discussions to cornerstone the round by end of June, include allied government investment funds and corporate venture capital firms.
The company’s long-term objective is to transform SWIR from today’s limited and under-supplied capability into a persistent, high-resolution Earth intelligence layer; ultimately achieving sub-1 metre resolution at scale.
LC60 CEO and Founder, Venkat Pillay, said the announcement marked a decisive shift from satellite demonstration to constellation-scale execution.
“We are building the first Australian-led, AUKUS aligned SWIR intelligence layer at scale; the two satellites for launch in Q1 2027 are just the starting point” Mr Pillay said.
“The world needs trusted, timely intelligence from novel infrared imagery datasets that can support decisions.That is what LC60 is building: from space, to ground, to AI-enabled insight.”
The constellation roadmap is aligned with the direction of Australian and allied defence strategy, including Australia’s focus on sovereign capability, national resilience, enhanced space capabilities and defence industrial base development. It also aligns with the broader allied shift toward proliferated, resilient, AI-enabled space architectures and the AUKUS Pillar II emphasis on advanced capabilities, maritime domain awareness, AI and information sharing.
At the centre of LC60’s Australian sovereignty strategy is Western Australia. The newly opened ECU Space Integration Facility provides a practical anchor for local spacecraft integration, cleanroom operations, technical training and future workforce development, supported by the Western Australian Government.
“Sovereignty is not just about owning a satellite,” Mr Pillay said.
“It is about controlling the chain; tasking, downlink, processing, AI models, product generation and authorised dissemination. Western Australia gives us a strategic anchor for that chain: facilities, workforce, ground access, AI capability and proximity to the Indian Ocean theatre.”
SWIR is becoming strategically important because it reveals material, moisture and surface-condition signatures often invisible in standard imagery. In agriculture, it helps detect crop stress, water stress, soil condition and yield risk earlier. In sustainability, it strengthens carbon, methane and environmental monitoring. For defence and national security, SWIR supports maritime awareness, concealment detection, infrastructure monitoring and post-event assessment.
LC60 already has strong civilian traction, with platforms spanning agriculture, sustainability, carbon, methane, moisture analytics and government mapping, including national-scale programs for more than 125,000 smallholder farmers across Southeast Asia. Agriculture and sustainability are major scale engines, while defence and allied offtake represent a growing opportunity.
LC60’s vertically integrated architecture combines SWIRSAT collection, sovereign ground and processing, EONET60 AI fusion, and domain platforms. It reduces latency, improves trust and turns multi-source satellite, drone and ground data into decision-ready intelligence.
The company is aligning customers, governments, investors and key defence stakeholders around the accelerated roadmap.
“LC60 is building the SWIR network the market needs, at the scale the mission demands”. Mr Pillay said.
Media Enquiries:
LatConnect 60: Arvind Rampal | Head of Commercial Strategy (Global) | arvind.rampal@latconnect60.com