Extract from ABC News
NASA launching three rockets from Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory.
American space agency NASA will be heading Down Under this month for a series of rocket launches in Arnhem Land.
Key points:
- NASA will be launching three rockets from the Northern Territory
- It has been 25 years since NASA last launched rockets from Australia
- NASA wants to observe space phenomena that can only been seen from the southern hemisphere
Three rockets will be launched over a month from the Arnhem Space Centre on the Dhupuma Plateau.
The government says the rockets will be used to investigate heliophysics, astrophysics and planetary science phenomena that can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.
It is the first time NASA rockets will be launched in Australia in over a quarter of a century.
The traditional owners, the Gumatj people, have been consulted over the campaign and NASA will collect and remove all spent motor cases and payloads when the launches are finished.
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic says it marks a new era for the Australian space sector.
"This is an important milestone that will further enhance Australia's position as a launch destination," he said.
Seventy-five NASA personnel will travel to Australia for the launches, planned to be held from June 26 to July 12.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be officially announcing the launch in Darwin this morning, on his way back from his first bilateral talks in Indonesia.
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