Australia hosts ‘historic’ Nasa launch – first from commercial site outside US

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the launch as the start of a ‘new era’ for the country’s space industry

Rockets had to be hauled on barges to the remote launch site, about 28 hours drive from Darwin in northern Australia

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A rocket, carrying technology likened to a ‘mini Hubble’ telescope, lifts off from Arnhem Space Centre in Australia late on Sunday. Photo Nasa via AFP

Published: 11:02am, 27 Jun 2022

Nasa’s first-ever launch from a commercial site outside the United States blasted off from Australia’s Outback late Sunday, in a “historic” moment for the country’s space industry.

In the first of three planned launches from the Arnhem Space Centre, the rocket, carrying technology likened to a “mini Hubble” telescope, lifted off – blasted about 350 kilometres (218 miles) into the night sky.

“It is a momentous occasion for us as a company in particular, but it’s historic for Australia,” Equatorial Launch Australia CEO Michael Jones said ahead of the lift-off.

Jones, whose company owns and operates the launch site in the far north of Australia, described it as a “coming out” party for the country’s space industry and said the chance to work with Nasa was a milestone for commercial space firms in the country.

The Arnhem Space Centre on the Gove Peninsula in Australia’s Northern Territory. Photo: Equatorial Launch Australia via AP

After a series of rain and wind delays, the suborbital sounding rocket soared into the sky to study X-rays emanating from the Alpha Centauri A and B systems.

After reaching its apogee, the rocket’s payload was to capture data on the star systems before parachuting back to earth.