Extract from ABC News
The European Space Agency has launched a new deep space antenna at New Norcia, the second of its kind at the site. (Supplied: European Space Agency)
In short:
The European Space Agency has built another deep space antenna in New Norcia in WA.
The second of its kind at the site, the 40 metre-tall antenna was built to support increasing demand for data processing.
It will also help scientists communicate with spacecraft exploring faraway planets like Jupiter.
A new deep space antenna opened in a tiny monastic town in Western Australia could help unlock the secrets of the universe.
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Saturday officially opened its fourth deep space antenna globally, at New Norcia, about 120 kilometres north of Perth.
Dubbed New Norcia 3 (NNO-3), it's the second antenna at the site, which is Australia's only town centred around a monastery.
The 40-metre-tall, 700-tonne piece of infrastructure was built to keep up with increasing data download demands from spacecraft exploring the solar system.
The new antenna will help keep up with data processing demand. (Supplied: European Space Agency)
"[There are] billions of stars and galaxies we are observing and that creates huge amounts of data and that's why we need a large antenna to get the weak signal from these telescopes from far away," ESA director general Josef Aschbacher said.
Dr Aschbacher said the antenna would support missions exploring Mars, Jupiter, the Sun and asteroids, and other unknown parts of the universe.
"All the stars that we see, the sun and all the planets, that makes only 5 per cent of the universe," he said.
"Ninety-five per cent we don't see, we don't measure, and that's why we have designed this one mission called Euclid, which looks into dark energy and dark matter."
Precise technology
Exploring parts of the solar system that are hundreds of millions of kilometres away requires advanced and precise technology.
CSIRO's Suzy Jackson manages ESA's New Norcia station and said the new antenna could — in theory — receive a phone call from Mars.
Suzy Jackson manages the European Space Agency's New Norcia station. (ABC News: Jessica Rendall)
"Signals coming from a spacecraft in deep space, by the time they get to us, they're incredibly faint, and when we talk back to a spacecraft, by the time our signals get to the spacecraft, it's also incredibly faint," she said.
"So we do two things. Firstly, we yell really loud, then we listen really, really carefully.
"We use enormous hardware, a very big dish to catch as much of the signal as we possibly can, and then we have cryogenic amplifiers that are cooled to minus 260 degrees Celsius, so that they don't contribute noise to the signal."
Mapping the universe
ESA's head of ground station engineering Mehran Sarkarati said data received by the NNO-3 will include high resolution images, maps of the universe and scientific data from observations of planets such as Venus and Mars.
"We also send commands to our spacecraft to tell the spacecraft what to do," Dr Sarkarati said.
The deep space antennas have the capacity, in theory, to receive calls from Mars. (Supplied: European Space Agency)
"Which scientific measurements to take, what area of this universe to map, all that is communicated to our spacecraft using these antennas that we have."
The antenna will also help other space agencies around the world who may need to use it to communicate with their spacecraft.
"We cooperate with NASA, we do the same with India, Japan, and a few others who have asked us for support of these services from these antennas," Dr Sarkarati said.
"So it's also a tool for international cooperation, which we also foster a lot within the European Space Agency."
Community 'ecstatic'
Shire of Victoria Plains president Pauline Bantock said the community was "ecstatic" about the new antenna.
Ms Bantock said the shire and state government had plans to leverage the globally important ground station for tourism, to attract visitors and inspire future space enthusiasts.
The European Space Agency launches a new deep space antenna in WA.
"We'd love to be able to see something like an education centre and further tourism opportunities," she said.
"We've certainly been having those conversations."
Ahead of the antenna's launch, Science Minister Stephen Dawson announced $350,000 to help fund visitor facilities at the New Norcia station, including a viewing pod, signage and visitor car parking.
Life on Jupiter?
Australian Space Agency astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg is over the moon about the possibilities this antenna brings to the future of space exploration.
"One of my favourite missions that's going to be connected to through this centre here in Western Australia is called JUICE. It's going explore the icy moons of Jupiter, the most prominent candidates for potential life in our solar system," Ms Bennell-Pegg said.
Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg and the European Space Agency's Josef Aschbacher attend the official opening of New Norcia's second deep space antenna. (ABC News: West Matteeussen)
"Whatever we find there will teach us so much about our solar system formation and about the past, present and future of the Earth."
"Another mission is going out to explore asteroids and to understand how they could impact Earth and how to make sure we can deflect them, if they look to be on that path."
Ms Bennell-Pegg said the antenna is at the forefront of exciting innovations in space technology.
"Should I be lucky enough to go to the moon? Well, you never know, I might be able to have some great video calls with the data pipes through Australia, with the science data pipes from Australia, speaking to Australian operators," she said.
"It's very exciting, whatever the future may be."
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