SatNow recently interviewed Dr Damith Abeywardana, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Infinity Avionics, a company recognized for delivering advanced electronics and smart camera solutions for space applications. With extensive experience in the design, manufacturing and testing of electronic subsystems, Dr Abeywardana has played a pivotal role in the development of numerous Australian spacecraft and custom payloads. Under his leadership, Infinity Avionics has emerged as a trusted provider of intelligent camera systems that enhance spacecraft safety and space domain awareness for global missions. By combining deep technical expertise with a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, Dr Abeywardana continues to drive the company’s growth and impact within the space industry.
Q. Can you share a brief history of Infinity Avionics and outline the vision and objectives behind developing advanced imaging and avionics solutions for space applications?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: Infinity Avionics was founded in Australia five years ago with a clear vision: to be “Your Eyes in Space.” Our mission is to deliver advanced imaging and avionics solutions that give spacecraft operators the visual awareness they need to operate confidently and safely in orbit.
Historically, space cameras were designed primarily for Earth observation, navigation, or scientific missions. These systems were often bespoke, expensive, and slow to procure. As a result, once a small satellite was launched, operators had limited ability to visually assess their spacecraft. They couldn’t see whether solar panels had deployed correctly, how antennas were oriented, or whether any structures had been damaged.
Infinity Avionics set out to change this. We began by developing small, affordable, readily available onboard monitoring cameras purpose‑built for spacecraft self-awareness. These systems enabled operators to visually confirm deployments, monitor spacecraft health, and understand their environment in real time.
As the new space sector evolved, so did the applications of our technology. Our cameras are now used to support in‑space manufacturing, monitor large solar arrays, observe thruster plumes, and track space debris. Building on this foundation, we have expanded into high‑resolution, high‑frame‑rate imaging systems designed specifically for space situational awareness. These advanced sensors allow operators to monitor objects hundreds of kilometres away, even when travelling at high relative velocities.
Across all these technologies, our objective remains the same: to provide the visual intelligence operators need to make informed decisions. We would never drive a car without visibility, and we believe spacecraft should not be flown blindly either.
Q. What products make up your space imaging portfolio, and how do they address both current challenges and emerging trends in the space imaging market?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: Infinity Avionics offers a comprehensive portfolio of space‑qualified imaging systems designed to meet the full spectrum of modern spacecraft imaging needs; from simple deployment monitoring to advanced space‑based space surveillance. Our products range from compact snapshot cameras to high‑resolution, high‑frame‑rate camera systems engineered for demanding SSA and autonomy applications.
At the entry level, our SelfieCam provides a lightweight, easy‑to‑integrate solution for operators who need quick images or video for deployment verification, spacecraft health checks, or mission outreach. Building on this, our latest camera product, Aquila, introduces HD video capability, setting a new benchmark for spacecraft monitoring and enabling continuous visual awareness during critical operations.
For missions requiring high‑precision imaging, our Lynx4MP and Orion12MP cameras deliver the resolution, sensitivity, and frame rates needed for space‑based space surveillance and other visually demanding applications. These systems are purpose‑built to track fast‑moving objects at long ranges and support the growing need for on‑orbit inspection and situational awareness.
As the industry shifts toward in‑space manufacturing, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), and autonomous spacecraft, real‑time decision‑making has become essential. To support this transition, we developed BRAIN, our edge‑processing platform that interfaces with our cameras and other sensors to process data on‑orbit. By enabling onboard analytics, BRAIN allows spacecraft to respond autonomously without relying on ground‑based processing or downlink constraints.
Beyond our standard product line, Infinity Avionics provides custom camera solutions using our proven TRL9 subsystems. This approach allows us to deliver tailored imaging solutions with reduced cost, risk, and lead time while ensuring flight‑proven reliability.
Together, these products address both today’s operational challenges and tomorrow’s autonomous, data‑driven space missions, giving operators the imaging capability they need to see more, understand more, and act faster in orbit.
Q. How are your imaging technologies designed to enhance space situational awareness and meet the needs of next-generation space missions?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: Space situational awareness really has two dimensions, and our imaging technologies are designed to address both.
The first is self‑situational awareness — understanding the health, status, and immediate surroundings of your own spacecraft. Operators need to know that deployments have occurred correctly, that mechanisms are functioning as expected, and that there are no close‑proximity threats. This becomes especially important in applications like rover navigation, deployment monitoring, and in‑space manufacturing, where visual confirmation directly affects mission safety and longevity.
To support this, we offer a range of cameras, including SelfieCam, Leo2MP, Aquila, and Lynx4MP. These cameras are designed for missions from LEO all the way to lunar operations. They give customers flexibility in resolution, optics, and data handling, and they’re built for straightforward integration so teams can focus on their mission rather than on camera complexity.
The second dimension is awareness of other space objects. That includes cooperative spacecraft during RPO or inspection missions, as well as uncooperative objects like debris for collision avoidance or debris‑removal missions. For these scenarios, we’ve developed our Lynx4MP and Orion12MP cameras, which offer the high dynamic range, high frame rates, and high resolution needed to track fast‑moving objects at long distances and under challenging lighting conditions.
By addressing both self‑awareness and external awareness, our imaging technologies give operators the visual intelligence they need to support next‑generation missions, whether that’s autonomy, on‑orbit servicing, or advanced space‑based surveillance.
Q. Can you describe the BRAIN onboard AI processing platform and its role in enabling real-time data processing for satellite missions?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: BRAIN is our onboard AI processing platform, and it’s really designed to bring a level of autonomy to modern spacecraft that simply isn’t possible if you rely on ground‑based processing alone. The volume of space‑derived data is growing rapidly, and many mission decisions are now time‑critical. Downlinking everything to Earth before acting just isn’t viable anymore.
What BRAIN does is interface directly with our cameras or with any other spacecraft sensors to perform on‑orbit data processing, machine learning, and AI inference. That means a spacecraft can make certain decisions autonomously, or it can downlink only the processed, high‑value information instead of raw data. This reduces bandwidth requirements and enables much faster operational responses.
We’ve also engineered BRAIN specifically for the realities of the space environment. It includes single‑event detection and latch‑up protection, an independently TID‑tested GPU module, and additional radiation shielding. So, you get the performance needed for real‑time AI workloads, but with the robustness required for long‑duration space missions.
In short, BRAIN gives spacecraft the ability to understand their environment and act on that information in real time, which is becoming essential for next‑generation missions like RPO, in‑space manufacturing, and autonomous SSA.
Q. What technical and mission-level trade-offs influence the design of your multiple space imaging camera systems?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: When we design space imaging systems, there are several technical and mission‑level trade‑offs that customers need to consider, and these choices can have a big impact on performance, cost, and lead time.
One of the first questions is mission lifetime and the space environment. That determines whether a mission needs fully radiation‑hardened hardware, carefully selected COTS components, or additional radiation shielding. Each of those paths comes with different implications for reliability, price, and schedule, so it’s an important early trade‑off.
Another major factor is the level of detail the customer needs to see, and how wide a field of view they require. These two parameters are usually interdependent. The required detail, often described in terms of target sampling distance, combined with the target distance drives decisions around sensor resolution, pixel size, focal length, and F‑number. Those optical and sensor parameters ultimately define what the camera can resolve.
Beyond that, there are several other considerations that influence camera selection: the imaging spectrum, required frame rate, dynamic range, hyperfocal distance, and even the thermal environment the camera will operate in. All these factors influence how the system performs in orbit.
And finally, there’s the practical side — the size, weight, power, and overall integration complexity of the camera subsystem. Those SWaP constraints need to be balanced against the mission’s imaging requirements.
When we work with customers, we look at all these factors holistically. The goal is to make sure the camera system is optimised for the mission rather than forcing the mission to adapt to the camera.
Q. How is high-resolution space imaging defined, and why is it critical for Earth observation and space domain awareness missions?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: When we talk about high‑resolution space imaging, there are really two layers to the definition. The first is the sensor resolution, essentially how many megapixels the detector has. But in practice, that number alone doesn’t tell you what level of detail the camera can actually resolve.
The second layer, which is far more important, is the effective resolution of the full camera system. That depends on factors like pixel size, focal length, and F‑number, and it’s usually described in terms of Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) for Earth observation or Target Sampling Distance (TSD) for space‑to‑space imaging. GSD and TSD tell you how much real‑world detail each pixel represents, and that’s what ultimately determines what you can see.
For missions like Earth observation or space domain awareness, GSD or TSD is the critical metric. The finer the sampling distance, the more detail you can resolve, whether that’s identifying small features on the Earth’s surface or detecting and characterising small spacecraft or debris objects in orbit.
What counts as ‘high‑resolution’ really depends on the mission. For example, a weather‑monitoring payload might only need 30 to 100 metres per pixel to achieve its objectives. But if you’re trying to identify features of a vehicle or naval vessel from orbit, you may need sub‑meter GSD. The same logic applies to space domain awareness: the required resolution is driven by the size and distance of the object of interest and the level of detail you need to extract.
So high‑resolution imaging isn’t a single number, it’s about matching the camera’s resolving power to the mission’s operational needs.
Q. How do the Orion 12MP and LYNX 4MP camera systems achieve reliable real-time orbital observation under low-light conditions and high target velocities?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: The Orion 12MP and LYNX 4MP cameras are designed specifically for the challenges of real‑time orbital observation, where you’re often dealing with very low‑light conditions and extremely fast‑moving targets.
Both systems use image sensors with large pixel architectures, and those sensors already have strong flight heritage, everything from LEO missions to interplanetary spacecraft. That heritage matters because it means the sensors are not only sensitive but also proven to be reliable in harsh radiation environments. They also support multiple high‑dynamic‑range operating modes, which can be advantageous when you’re imaging objects that may be dimly lit or rapidly transitioning between bright and dark backgrounds.
The combination of large pixels and HDR modes gives the cameras the low‑light performance needed for space domain awareness, where targets can be hundreds of kilometres away and illuminated only by reflected sunlight.
To deal with high target velocities, both cameras support high frame rates. Orion12MP, for example, can capture and store 100 full‑resolution, uncompressed frames per second. That level of throughput is critical for reducing motion blur and reliably tracking fast‑moving objects in orbit.
And finally, both systems maintain very accurate internal timing using a PPS signal, which allows precise scheduling of image capture. That’s important for synchronising with other spacecraft systems or triggering captures at exact time instances during rendezvous, tracking, or surveillance operations.
In conclusion, the combination of sensor sensitivity, HDR capability, high frame rates, and precise timing is what enables these cameras to deliver reliable real‑time orbital observation in some of the most challenging imaging conditions.
Q. Can you explain how onboard imaging and AI-driven intelligence contribute to space debris monitoring and satellite tracking in crowded orbits?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: Onboard imaging and AI‑driven processing are becoming essential for space debris monitoring and satellite tracking, especially as orbits get more crowded.
The first piece is the imaging itself. When you have multiple onboard cameras with different fields of view or different spectral sensitivities, you can detect and identify a much wider range of objects — everything from small debris fragments to cooperative satellites. That diversity of sensor data combined by onboard image processing capability gives you a far more complete picture of what’s happening around the spacecraft.
The second piece is how that data is used. Space object tracking and proximity operations typically rely on closed‑loop control, and the camera data along with other sensors becomes the feedback that drives those control loops. When you combine those camera feeds with an onboard edge processor like our BRAIN platform, you can fuse and process all that information directly on the spacecraft. That enables real‑time decision‑making, which is critical when you’re trying to detect, track, or react to fast‑moving objects.
And then there’s the AI layer. Machine learning algorithms can help with identifying, characterising, and even cataloguing objects in orbit. That’s incredibly valuable when you’re operating in congested environments, because it improves the spacecraft’s ability to understand what’s around it and respond appropriately.
So together, onboard imaging, edge processing, and AI give spacecraft the ability to sense, interpret, and act in real time — which is exactly what’s needed for effective debris monitoring and satellite tracking in today’s increasingly crowded orbital environment.
Q. What are the core design principles of the SelfieCam video system, and how does it ensure reliable, radiation-tolerant performance under bandwidth constraints in space?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: SelfieCam‑Video is one of our most widely used products for spacecraft monitoring, and its design is built around a few core principles: simplicity, reliability, and radiation‑tolerant performance while operating within the tight bandwidth constraints typical of cube satellites.
From the start, we designed SelfieCam to be extremely easy to integrate. It has very low size, weight, and power requirements, and it uses a simple communication interface, so spacecraft teams can drop it into their platform without adding complexity. It’s commonly used for deployment monitoring, orientation checks, and general spacecraft health assessment.
On the hardware side, we use carefully selected COTS components that already have strong flight heritage. That gives us a good balance between performance and cost, while still ensuring reliability in orbit. We also include single‑event detection and latch‑up protection circuits, which are essential for maintaining stable operation in radiation‑prone environments.
Because bandwidth is often the biggest constraint for early‑stage missions, SelfieCam‑Video captures and stores highly compressed JPEG images, typically under 100 kilobytes per image. That means operators can downlink useful imagery even over limited RF links, which is especially valuable during commissioning or troubleshooting when you need quick visual confirmation of what’s happening on the spacecraft.
The overall philosophy is: keep it simple, keep it robust, and make sure operators can always get the imagery they need, even under tight bandwidth and power constraints.
Q. What upcoming developments is Infinity Avionics planning in space imaging and space domain awareness technologies, and what does its three-year technology roadmap look like?
Dr Damith Abeywardana: Our vision has always been to be ‘Your Eyes in Space,’ and our technology roadmap over the next three years is about pushing the boundaries of what spacecraft can see and understand in orbit.
One of the most exciting developments we’ve just brought to market is Aquila. It’s a small‑form‑factor monitoring camera, but it delivers HD and Full HD imaging at 30 frames per second — which is a huge step forward for spacecraft that need high‑quality video without the burden of a large payload. When you pair Aquila with our BRAIN onboard processing platform, you start to unlock true machine‑vision capability in space. That’s going to be critical for emerging applications like in‑space manufacturing, space robotics, and autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations.
Looking ahead, we’re also investing heavily in next‑generation sensor fusion. One of the areas we’re exploring is the combination of conventional image sensors with neuromorphic sensors. These event‑based sensors open entirely new possibilities for space domain awareness especially when you’re trying to detect and track fast‑moving or low‑contrast objects in challenging lighting conditions. By blending these sensor modalities, we can deliver capabilities that go well beyond what traditional cameras can achieve on their own.
So, over the next three years, you’ll see us continue to expand our high‑performance imaging portfolio, deepen our AI‑driven processing capabilities, and introduce new hybrid sensor technologies. All of this is aimed at giving spacecraft the visual intelligence they need to operate safely and autonomously in an increasingly complex orbital environment.
And of course, we’re always happy to talk about what’s coming next and how we can support upcoming missions with these new capabilities.
About Dr Damith Abeywardana
Dr Damith Abeywardana is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Infinity Avionics. Damith possesses extensive experience in the design, manufacturing and testing of electronics subsystems for space applications. He has been a pivotal contributor to the development of numerous Australian spacecraft and custom payloads. Since the incorporation of Infinity Avionics under Damith’s leadership, the team has become a trusted provider of smart camera solutions, enhancing spacecraft safety and space domain awareness for global missions through a steadfast commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
