Skip to content

AfgNews.net

24 hours news of Afghanistan, The Region and The World!

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Afghanistan
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
Primary Menu
  • Afghanistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Home
  • 2022
  • June
  • 8
  • NASA to launch 3 rockets from private Australian space port
  • Tech

NASA to launch 3 rockets from private Australian space port

Waheedullah Sediqzada 4 weeks ago 2 min read

CANBERRA, Australia — NASA will launch a research rocket from remote northern Australia this month in the agency’s first blast off from a commercial space port outside the United States.

Three suborbital sounding rockets will be launched from the Arnhem Space Center on Indigenous-owned land near the mining town of Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory on June 26, July 4 and 12, said NASA and the launch pad’s owner, Equatorial Launch Australia.

The launch site was chosen because it is in the Southern Hemisphere and close to the equator.

“This commercial launch range in Australia opens up new access to the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky, expanding the possibilities for future science missions,” NASA associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement.

The 12.2-meter (40-foot), 2,200-kilogram (4,900-pound), Canadian-designed Black Brant IX rockets would focus on the Alpha Centauri A and B star systems. A third mission would study X-rays emanating from the interstellar medium – the clouds of gases and particles in the space between stars.

NASA’s Heliophysics Division director Nicky Fox said the launches more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) into space would “allow us to explore how a star’s light can influence a planet’s habitability among other things.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the first NASA rocket launch in Australia since 1995. The launch site then was a military rocket range near Woomera in South Australia state.

“This is a really exciting project. This is about not just the rocket launches itself, but it’s about sending a message to younger Australians and, indeed, Australians of any age, who might be looking at retraining for future careers, of how important science is,” Albanese said.

“We want the next generation to really look at STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as part of Australia’s future and that’s why this is an important project,” Albanese added.

Equatorial Launch Australia Executive Chairman and Group CEO Michael Jones said while NASA was his company’s first client, advanced commercial discussions were underway with another nine rocket companies.

He expected at least two more launches from the space center this year and more than 50 launches annually within a few years.

Continue Reading

Previous: ‘Sexist’ tweet sets off infighting, recriminations among Washington Post reporters
Next: Four representatives mount bipartisan push to criminalize dangerous use of drones

Related Stories

Sens. Warner, Rubio urge FTC investigation of TikTok over ‘repeated misrepresentations’
2 min read
  • Tech

Sens. Warner, Rubio urge FTC investigation of TikTok over ‘repeated misrepresentations’

5 hours ago
Babylon Bee banned without explanation from Chinese-owned TikTok
2 min read
  • Tech

Babylon Bee banned without explanation from Chinese-owned TikTok

23 hours ago
Federal judge rips Meta lawyers for ‘excessive footnotes’ in defense against FTC lawsuit
2 min read
  • Tech

Federal judge rips Meta lawyers for ‘excessive footnotes’ in defense against FTC lawsuit

1 day ago

Recent Posts

  • Saudi Arabia expecting 1 million in largest hajj since virus
  • Putin’s aide warns US against pressing for war crimes court
  • LabCorp can test up to 10K samples per week for monkeypox, CDC says
  • Timeline of crises that have rocked UK’s Boris Johnson
  • Spain’s famous Bull Run festival back after 2-year hiatus

Archives

  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Categories

  • Afghanistan
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech

AfgNews.net

24 hours news of Afghanistan, The Region and The World!

Categories

Afghanistan Business Health Tech

Recent Posts

  • Saudi Arabia expecting 1 million in largest hajj since virus
  • Putin’s aide warns US against pressing for war crimes court
  • LabCorp can test up to 10K samples per week for monkeypox, CDC says
  • Timeline of crises that have rocked UK’s Boris Johnson
  • Spain’s famous Bull Run festival back after 2-year hiatus
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter