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NASA’s first launch from a commercial location outside the United States left the Australian Outback on Sunday afternoon, at a “historic” time for the country’s space industry.
In the first of three planned launches from the Arnhem Space Center, the rocket, which carried technology similar to a “Hubble mini telescope,” took off and fired about 350 kilometers (218 miles) into the night sky.
“It’s a momentous occasion for us as a company in particular, but it’s historic for Australia,” Michael Jones, CEO of Equatorial Launch Australia, told AFP before take-off.
Jones, whose company owns and operates the launch site in the far north of Australia, described it as a “departure” party for the country’s space industry and said the opportunity to work with NASA was a milestone for the country’s commercial space companies.
After a series of delays due to rain and wind, the suborbital sounding rocket was launched into the sky to study the X-rays emanating from the Alpha Centauri A and B systems.
After reaching its peak, the rocket’s payload was to capture data from star systems before returning to Earth by parachute.
According to NASA, the launch offers a unique insight into distant systems and has opened up new possibilities for scientists.
“We are excited to be able to launch major science missions from the southern hemisphere and see targets we can’t from the United States,” Nicky Fox, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division in Washington, said in announcing the mission.
Jones said the unique location had made preparations difficult, with years of work to obtain regulatory approval and the need to transport rockets with barges to the launch site, about a 28-hour drive from Darwin, north of ‘Australia.
“I think for the team it will be, you know, a big relief that it’s been done,” he said.
But with the next release already approaching July 4, the break would be short-lived.
“We need, you know, to get the dust out, take a day off and then get back ready for the next release because it’s just as important.”
It is the first NASA rocket launched from Australia since 1995, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the project as the start of a “new era” for the country’s space industry.
NASA will launch 3 rockets from the Australian private spaceport
© 2022 AFP
Quote: NASA takes off from the Australian Outback in a “historic” launch (2022, June 27) recovered on June 27, 2022
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