ELA chief executive Carley Scott told the ABC that the project remained on track, and that the firm was planning to potentially have a rocket in the air by this year's tropical dry season."We're looking to ideally have a small rocket launched this year, in 2019, and bring the community along for that journey," said Ms Scott, who would not yet reveal an exact timeframe for blast-off.
The chosen site's isolated location — a wide, bushy plateau not far from the site of the annual Garma Festival at Gulkula and about an hour's drive from Nhulunbuy — adds to its viability, Ms Scott said."You're actually looking at a region that has been really strongly benefitted by the history of mining as far as overcoming some of those hurdles that are associated with having a remote area," she said."You have a deep water port that's already there, a city-quality airport, the strong township of Nhulunbuy and nearby communities … you have some really important infrastructure that has already been established."
"There's a lease now in place for ELA to proceed," she said
An interesting read in the news today: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-30/how-viable-is-plan-to-build-spaceport-remote-northern-territory/10970060
At the heart of the Government's current aspiration is its support for a private industry project — a spaceport to launch suborbital satellites being built on Aboriginal-owned land in East Arnhem Land.
QuoteAt the heart of the Government's current aspiration is its support for a private industry project — a spaceport to launch suborbital satellites being built on Aboriginal-owned land in East Arnhem Land.It's also worth noting that the launch site's orbital launch azimuths all overfly land. Indonesia to the north, PNG to the northeast, Cape York Peninsula to the east. To me, this is smelling more and more like a boondoggle.
I believe ELA already has launch contracts from NASA to fly four suborbital missions in May 2020. That's a good start.
The launches are in the WFF Bluebook, although only three launches are listed now launching July/August 2020.
NASA will launch commercial rockets from an Australian spaceport in the Northern Territory next year after an Australian startup secured a contract with the space agency.NASA will work with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to launch rockets into space from the startup's Arnhem Space Centre in 2020."It's a first for NASA and a first for Australia," said ELA chief executive Carley Scott. "NASA has never ever before contracted a commercial site to do a launch."
NASA Inspects Proposed NT Space BaseMax Blenkin2 August 2019NASA has conducted a site inspection of the area of the Northern Territory from which it plans to launch a series of sounding rockets.https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/r-d/3609-nasa-inspects-proposed-nt-space-base
Gumatj chief executive Klaus Helms told the ABC he wanted to get started."We hope that within this year I'd like to be able to put the roads in and start a clearing, if all the applications come through," Helms said. He said the involvement of NASA helped move the space centre plan into reality."It needed a kickstart, and this is a very good kickstart to get it going," Helms said."If it goes ahead, we've got the building of the roads, the building of the infrastructure, we've got the delivery of water, the delivery of fuel, we've got communications, security; there's a multitude of jobs."ELA chose this location for its launch site as it has significant advantages, including its remoteness and proximity to the equator, which takes advantage of the Earth’s rotation and allows greater launch payloads for less fuel.While the NASA scientists visited the proposed ELA launch site, the main purpose of their visit was educational – to talk to local high school students about the booming space sector. Among schools visited was the Nhulunbuy High School, the closest to the new space base.
This is likely to be another spaceport that never launches anything to space.
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/gMZ36tbImage 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).
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 - 06/27/22SISTINE - 07/05/22DEUCE - 07/15/22
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!
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/
Mission: XQCVehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocketDate: June 26, 2022Time: 9:14 a.m. EDT (10:44 p.m. ACST) [13:14 UTC]Location: Arnhem Space Center, AustraliaMission: SISTINEVehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocketDate: July 4, 2022Time: 6:54 a.m. EDT (8:24 p.m. ACST) [10:54 UTC]Location: Arnhem Space Center, AustraliaMission: DEUCEVehicle: Black Brant IX sounding rocketDate: July 12, 2022Time: 6:57 a.m. EDT (8:27 p.m. ACST) [10:57 UTC]Location: Arnhem Space Center, Australia
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.”
1. I know Blake Nicolic (BSA) was invited up to watch.2. Interesting that that container came all the way from Wallops.
NASA has overcome unusual challenges to collect all but one piece of the rocket launched from Arnhem Land on Monday morning, officials said.Key points:Aboriginal rangers helped NASA locate parts of its recently-launched rocket A local MP has raised concerns about where parts of the rocket landedThe company that runs the launch pad has denied any safety issuesPieces of the suborbital sounding rocket were tracked as far as 220 kilometres from the launch pad near Nhulunbuy, from where it blasted off in the early hours of Monday morning.Yolngu rangers assisted with recovery efforts and said the mission headed into some tough terrain."We've got buffaloes and snakes around, you have to be careful," Djawa "Timmy" Burarrwanga, the managing director of Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, said.Using a helicopter, NASA's advanced mapping technology and Yolngu tracking knowledge, Mr Burarrwanga said the group was able to recover most of the rocket's pieces..........Yingiya Guyula, the independent member for Mulka, which covers the new Arnhem Space Centre where NASA is conducting launches, said he had "grave fears" about where the pieces of the rocket were ending up, including on Mimal land in central Arnhem Land."It was something that should've been looked at more carefully," Mr Guyula said.
ELA's chief executive Michael Jones said NASA and ELA had undertaken risk assessments and probability studies on the dangers and had been cleared by Australia's regulatory authority.
Quote from: CameronD on 07/03/2022 11:46 pmELA's chief executive Michael Jones said NASA and ELA had undertaken risk assessments and probability studies on the dangers and had been cleared by Australia's regulatory authority.Really!??! And with the next one set to go tonight, I think there'd be a fair few who might disagree.. and that's not a good look for NASA, the ASA and rocket launch in general.
QuoteQuote from: CameronD on 07/03/2022 11:46 pmELA's chief executive Michael Jones said NASA and ELA had undertaken risk assessments and probability studies on the dangers and had been cleared by Australia's regulatory authority.Really!??! And with the next one set to go tonight, I think there'd be a fair few who might disagree.. and that's not a good look for NASA, the ASA and rocket launch in general. Interesting you didn't have this same objection when Gilmour popped their top in Central Queensland and spilled HTP everywhere. I guess concern for flying rockets only becomes a concern when they actually fly.
More seriously, Australia is one one the more heavily regulated and risk averse jurisdictions in the world. If ELA and NASA did risk assessments and they were approved by the relevant government regulator it seems fine?
NASA’s second ELA launch finally blasts offNASA’s second mission with Equatorial Launch Australia surprisingly blasted off on Wednesday night after two previous delays.ELA’s chief executive Michael Jones said, “Tonight we were delighted to achieve another successful launch which further strengthens the capabilities of our team and of the Arnhem Space Centre. “We look forward to our third launch on 12 July and then onwards to the future of the Arnhem Space Centre and the Australian space industry.”
From ABC News reports, it seems the best ELA thought to do in this particular case was get the local radio station to broadcast a warning in the local language beforehand.. as if everyone in the Territory just sits around listening to the radio all day long. "Look out! The sky is falling!"
Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. There's a rumour doing the rounds that someone at NASA might have got someone in the US Government to explain to our new rookie President Albanese just how important these launches were and that permits flowed rather quickly after that.. Of course, that's just a rumour and we'll never know for sure.
NASA's second-ever commercial launch in Australia has taken off from the Northern Territory, with the US aeronautical giant hailing the moment as a landmark for science in the southern hemisphere.A week of drizzling rain, wind and a 52-hour delay failed to stop the suborbital sounding rocket launch, which fired from the Arnhem Space Centre near Nhulunbuy around 11:15pm ACST on Wednesday.
How to shoot yourself in the foot."Equatorial Launch files cross-claim against former CEOEquatorial Launch Australia (ELA) has lodged a claim in the Federal Court accusing its former CEO of digitally altering her employment contract."https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/industry/5738-equatorial-launch-file-cross-claim-against-former-ceo
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-19/nt-equatorial-rocket-launch-2023-orbital-launch-arnhem-land/101868300
Last year's sub-orbital launches caused some consternation in Arnhem Land, after pieces of the rockets landed hundreds of kilometres down range of the space centre.ELA has always maintained there was no safety risk to communities.
Yeah..
"Many people [have] raised concerns with me about the Space Centre being used by military," he said."Our concerns are that we may become a target if there is a foreign threat and our country is seen as expendable because we are in the middle of nowhere.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-27/arnhem-land-nt-missile-testing-possibility-raises-concern/102269398I can understand local politician concerns, butQuote"Many people [have] raised concerns with me about the Space Centre being used by military," he said."Our concerns are that we may become a target if there is a foreign threat and our country is seen as expendable because we are in the middle of nowhere.This quote very much reminds me of people in Broome, WA who decided it was too dangerous post 9/11 to stay in Broome. They believed bin Laden was going to attack the shipping terminal there so the moved 'more remote'. I wish I was making this up.
Any major transport hubs like airports, sea ports, rail yards and fuel installations plus major communication facilities are on the target list of hostile forces. However terrorists generally want targets that will bring them lots of media coverage, so not targets in the middle of nowhere. Live with it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-10/equatorial-launch-australia-dismisses-expansion-fears/103306204This is right up there with the stories of people leaving Broome, WA post September 11 2001 as they were convinced it was a target for bin Laden.
.........The buildings incorporate substantive insulation and HVAC climate control for the harsh NT environment. Similarly, the building is fully cyclone rated and environmentally friendly..........
Purdy!! Although I do wonder:1. How they plan to build them at a site where most everything has to come in by barge and/or unmade roads
2. How those gutters will stand up to a tropical downpour, and
3. What they'll look like after a year or three in the tropics with little or no exterior maintenance.
Quote from: CameronD on 01/25/2024 03:20 amPurdy!! Although I do wonder:1. How they plan to build them at a site where most everything has to come in by barge and/or unmade roadsConsidering they already have significant infrastructure on site this hardly seems to be an issue.
Quote from: plugger.lockett on 02/02/2024 01:37 amConsidering they already have significant infrastructure on site this hardly seems to be an issue.Really?!? I must have missed it in the tall grass.
Considering they already have significant infrastructure on site this hardly seems to be an issue.
FWIW, that pic was taken at Avalon Airshow in March last year. Here's one of my own from the same location.
It has been a while since we heard much from these guys. To catch up, I notice there's a few job postings on their web site for their office in North Terrace, Adelaide (interesting that Adelaide seems to be the place to be for Newspace startups here).
The SA government is very pro space...
Oh wow, I didn't realise this was happening up in Arnhem Land, I was just up at Nulhunbuy two weeks ago. Wish I'd known, might have been able to check it out. Ahh well...