Equatorial Launch Australia

[TrevorMonty]

Smallsats and cubesats are mostly interested in SSO and other orbits but rarely equatorial as they aren't heading to GEO.  Sounding rockets can be launched from anywhere.

This is likely to be another spaceport that never launches anything to space.

[Steven Pietrobon]

This is likely to be another spaceport that never launches anything to space.

That is not true. They will be launching three NASA sounding rockets in June/July next year (XQC, SISTINE and DEUCE). They were scheduled for this year, but have been delayed due to current events.

[CameronD]

Sounds like there is something happening up there in the wet, muddy, humid, far reaches of the Northern Territory, but I can't access the article from Linkedin:

Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA):  Great article by Mark Dunn, featuring the progress of Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) and the #ArnhemSpaceCentre as the next stages of development are scheduled with foundations to be poured soon.

https://lnkd.in/gMZ36tb

Image features our CEO, Carley S., Djawa Yunupingu (Gumatj Corporation Board) and Blake Nikolic (Black Sky Aerospace CEO). Photography: #LJM Photography. Artwork by Dorothy Yunupingu of Djulpan (seven sisters).

The image is interesting.. maybe Black Sky are considering launching from up north??

[Steven Pietrobon]

Here's a more accessible article.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/space-launch-site-in-east-arnhem-land-given-nasa-contract/8f60b62c-09a3-4555-9832-e86d9b897717

[CameronD]

ELA's CEO Carley Scott has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her work in the space industry and the NT community.  Well done, Carley!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-26/order-of-australia-awards-northern-territory/13088470

[CameronD]

After months of nothing, it looks like ELA might be starting to do something!

From LinkedIn: Launch rail affixed and looking good.

[Rik ISS-fan]

Isn't that a (NASA) NSROC MML (Medium Mobile Launcher)!?
According to the NASA Bluebook 2021 there are three launches planned; all 36. BlackBrand IX (Terrier - BlackBrand)
XQC - 06/27/22
SISTINE - 07/05/22
DEUCE - 07/15/22

[CameronD]

Isn't that a (NASA) NSROC MML (Medium Mobile Launcher)!?
According to the NASA Bluebook 2021 there are three launches planned; all 36. BlackBrand IX (Terrier - BlackBrand)
XQC - 06/27/22
SISTINE - 07/05/22
DEUCE - 07/15/22

Looks like it..  The project was on ABC News over here on Friday night and seemed to indicate that a team of NASA people flew in a few months back to put in all of the infrastructure for their upcoming sounding rocket launches.  Bearing in mind that these are all solid-motor rockets, all ELA have provided is the dirt and perhaps the slab - so at this stage it's closest comparison in Australia would be Southern Launch's Koonibba Test Range.

No word yet on the progress of approvals to launch, but given that Enrico Palermo (ASA) was also interviewed on-site, I'd guess that's coming soon.

[Steven Pietrobon]

Some screen grabs.

[CameronD]

Okay, so it's been a while, but after a few months delays untangling red tape, it sounds like the ELA/NASA team are making progress.

From LinkedIn:

It was great to speak with Camden Smith and the NT News about Australia’s upcoming first commercial launch into space from ELA’s Arnhem Space Centre.
 
The ELA team is working around the clock on the final approvals and mission planning as we ready the site to welcome NASA and their BBIX rocket and prepare for the first launch in June.
 
We’re delighted to be able to share this launch with the local community in Nhulunbuy and have the support of the local Traditional Owners and the NT Government as we work towards our goal of pre-eminent multi-user commercial Space Launch company.

The night Launch of NASA's BBIX rocket in June 2022 from ELA's Arnhem Space Centre is coming...soon! This will be Australia's first commercial space launch and the first ever NASA launch from a commercial spaceport. Three launches are planned over a six-week period in June/July 2022 with rockets going to over 250km (250-310km) into space and collecting images and spectral data on alpha centauri (4.56 m light years from the sun) and other space atmospheric phenomenon. Big shout out to the ELA team working round the clock with Australian Space Agency to finalise approvals and mission planning with NASA. Extremely proud to be part of this real space company!

Unfortunately the NTNews article is paywalled, but here's the link if anyone is interested:
https://www.ntnews.com.au/business/nt-business/arnhem-land-space-launch-draws-closer/news-story/66d76fb7c38df41947965c3d65282367

[plugger.lockett]

This is welcome news

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-07/nasa-to-launch-rockets-from-australia-for-first-time-since-1995

[Steven Pietrobon]

ELA have a countdown clock to their first NASA launch. I calculate launch to be on Sunday 26 June at 13:14 UTC.

https://ela.space/

[CameronD]

ELA have a countdown clock to their first NASA launch. I calculate launch to be on Sunday 26 June at 13:14 UTC.

https://ela.space/

Ooo! So they have their launch license and didn't tell anyone?!? That's news.
https://ablis.business.gov.au/service/ag/launch-facility-licence/11

I guess we'll see what happens once the clock strikes zero.  Maybe that's when we'll see the paperwork fly?  .. although around midnight on a Sunday in the NT, I doubt anything much happens at all (sssh, you'll wake the neighbours!).

I suspect it's, at best, the opening of their agreed launch window that closes on July 12.
 

[Yiosie]

ELA have a countdown clock to their first NASA launch. I calculate launch to be on Sunday 26 June at 13:14 UTC.

https://ela.space/

No need for calculations; the launch times for all three launches are listed in NASA's Wallops Launch Schedule:

https://www.nasa.gov/wallops-launch-schedule

Mission: XQC
Vehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocket
Date: June 26, 2022
Time: 9:14 a.m. EDT (10:44 p.m. ACST) [13:14 UTC]
Location: Arnhem Space Center, Australia

Mission: SISTINE
Vehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocket
Date: July 4, 2022
Time: 6:54 a.m. EDT (8:24 p.m. ACST) [10:54 UTC]
Location: Arnhem Space Center, Australia

Mission: DEUCE
Vehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocket
Date: July 12, 2022
Time: 6:57 a.m. EDT (8:27 p.m. ACST) [10:57 UTC]
Location: Arnhem Space Center, Australia

[Fmedici]

At least the first one of those launches is gonna be streamed on ELA YouTube channel according to what they said during today's webcast for the RockOn suborbital launch

[Steven Pietrobon]

Here's the ELA YouTube page, which was created in 21 June 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6LMrzab8-v9OH14D-IHjg/featured

[plugger.lockett]

So good to see a successful space launch from Australia after all of these years!!!

Really looking forward to the next two launches from the NASA SRP.

[CameronD]

Here's a few snippets from the local news write-up on last nights's launch:

The rocket launched from the Arnhem Space Centre near Nhulunbuy, on the lands of the Gumatj people who were consulted throughout the process. Weather conditions delayed the launch for about an hour as wind, rain and clouds arrived at the launch site.

“We had a few delays because of the weather but when it finally went you feel the shock of the rocket as it left and the noise was pretty impressive,” Arnhem Space Centre CEO Michael Jones told the Today Show on Monday morning.

“We went through the full weather spectrum last night we had heavy rain and cloud”“It would put some risk into what the launch angles will be so we just had to make sure it was safe.”

The rocket finally launched from the red dirt just after midnight on Monday, but was only visible for ten seconds before it disappeared into the earth’s atmosphere.

Around 100 VIPs watched the historic moment from a viewing platform 800 metres away including scientists, politicians, local community members, indigenous leaders and the media.

It is a 13m “sounding rocket” which will carry an atmospheric observation platform to examine the Alpha A and B constellations. The rocket is expected to travel 300 km during the 15 minutes it moves through space.

“Without getting too deep into the science, it was effectively a large X-ray camera looking at various astrological phenomenon and trying to capture parts of boulders in the Milky Way and particularly the star cluster of Alpha Centauri.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/nasa-to-launch-rocket-in-australia-tonight-in-landmark-first/news-story/9d3ac8f7c798efc122cad1bb31e357f0
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-27/nasa-launch-rocket-arnhem-land-success/101183776

1. I know Blake Nicolic (BSA) was invited up to watch.
2. Interesting that that container came all the way from Wallops.

[TrevorMonty]

Here is info on Canadian suborbital launch vehicles.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Brant_(rocket)

[plugger.lockett]

1. I know Blake Nicolic (BSA) was invited up to watch.
2. Interesting that that container came all the way from Wallops.

Yep, Blake was there. And I would expect many a container has arrived from Wallops. It's a NASA SRP launch campaign and that's where the SRPO is located.