According to Indigenous legend, the emu was the creator of spirits who soared through the skies, looking over the land.
Look south of the Southern Cross and you can see the emu in the sky.
This cluster of stars and galactic dust helped Indigenous peoples make sense of the world around them. Depending on the position of the emu, First Nations peoples knew whether they should be hunting the emu or collecting the eggs.
It was fitting then, to mark the 15th anniversary of Australia's contribution to the US-led Wideband Global SATCOM project, that Hawaii-based Defence personnel gave their US Space Force counterparts in 53 Space Operations Squadron Detachment Delta an Indigenous artwork based on the Dreamtime emu.
Corporal Nathan Thomas, a member of the ADF team in Hawaii, initiated this gift and worked with Goori man Chris Gray, of Bundjalung Nation in south-east Queensland, to create the artwork titled Celestial Harmony.
It was shipped to Hawaii and presented to the US team on Thanksgiving.
The joint mission oversees a constellation of military communications satellites in geostationary orbit 35,000km above the Earth's surface.
Corporal Thomas is one of 10 enlisted personnel posted to the Wideband Satellite Operations Centre Oahu Island.
"The 15th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our time as a mission partner and share our culture with the US," he said.
'We look after a third of the Earth's surface. The impact we have on ADF and the greater community is very rewarding.'
There are 16 triservice Australian Cooperative Project personnel working across the US, 12 enlisted members at the SATCOM support and operations centres in Hawaii and three officers and one APS in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
As a transmission controller, Corporal Thomas monitors and controls satellite access for multiple partner nations, including Australian and New Zealand users, such as Navy ships moving across the Pacific, Army personnel on the ground in northern Australia or any US units operating under the US Indo-Pacific Command.
Australian personnel also act as payload controllers who monitor the health of satellite payloads and ensure communications plans are executed properly. Additional positions include facility controller and crew chief.
Defence joined the multinational project in 2007 when Australia funded the launch of the sixth satellite in the US-military satellite constellation. The first Cooperative Project personnel commenced direct support in 2009.
Today there are 10 satellites in the constellation, with two more planned.
As a mission partner, the ADF can access the entire network, along with nine other partner nations, allowing global communications.
Sergeant Peter Holtham, a SATCOM planner posted to Regional SATCOM Support Centre - Pacific in Hawaii, said global coverage could be achieved with a minimum of three satellites, but with the large number and range of user requirements, additional satellites are required to provide constant access.
"Over the past 15 years, project personnel have assisted tens of thousands of SATCOM missions," Sergeant Holtham said.
"Recent examples include military operations in the Middle East region, Vanuatu Assist 23, Solomon Island joint elections, domestic operations Bushfire Assist and Flood Assist, and international and domestic exercises.
"We look after a third of the Earth's surface. The impact we have on ADF and the greater community is very rewarding."
