Image Credit source: Twitter@NASA
This is the first time that NASA will launch a rocket from a commercial center outside the US. NASA said that after the launch, it would clean the casing and payload materials and return them to the US.
NASA Rocket Launching in Australia: American Space Research Center NASA (NASA) will launch three rockets to boost the space industry in Australia. Nulunbay is a city in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nearby is the Arnham Space Center in the northern region of the Dhupuma Plateau. From here NASA will launch all three rockets. According to reports, these three rockets are 13 meters sounding rocket (Sounding Rocket), which will not reach space orbit, but scientific observation (Scientific Observation) will do. It is being said that the launch of these three rockets will create a history in many respects for the Australian space industry.
According to the report of researcher Melissa de Zwart of Flinders University, this rocket launching program of NASA is also being considered as a major progress for commercial space companies. At the same time, it indicates an opportunity for future joint projects between Australia and the US.
Arnham is the private space center
The Arnham Space Center is owned by commercial operator Equatorial Launch Australia. It is located on the land of the people of Gumtz, who are the traditional custodians of the land and has been consulted as part of the process of approval for the launch. Gumtz Corporation President Dzawa Yunupingu told ABC last year that the rocket-launching plans are a step toward a bright future for our people.
Why is NASA going to do this in the first place?
This is the first time that NASA will launch a rocket from a commercial center outside the US. More than 70 NASA personnel will travel to Arnham Space Center to support the launch and scientific program. All three rockets have been manufactured by NASA. NASA has said that they will be used for scientific investigation of the type of physics, astrophysics and planetary science of the Sun, which we can only do in the Southern Hemisphere.
The agreement was announced in 2019
NASA said that after the launch, it would clean up materials such as casings and payloads and return them to the US. This agreement of NASA was announced in 2019. However, the launch program has been delayed due to the lockdown and travel restrictions implemented to prevent the corona virus epidemic. Many more launches are planned this year. The company aims to make 50 or more launches between 2024 and 2025.
What does this mean for the Australian space industry?
Arnham Space Center is one of three proposed commercial launch sites in Australia. In September 2020, another company, Southern Launch, carried out sub-orbital launches from its Coonibba test center in southern Australia. Southern Launch has recently got the license for commercial launch. In such a situation, developing the capability of space launch in Australia will prove to be a big achievement for the country’s space industry.
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