Island Lagoon Tracking Station
Encyclopedia
The Island Lagoon Tracking Station (Deep Space Station 41) was the first deep space station to be established outside of the United States, near Woomera, South Australia
in November 1960.
This area was chosen as the Australian government was working with the government of the United Kingdom on rocket and satellite research close by.
The tracking station began as a trailer installation, and was operational in time for the International Geophysical Year
of 1957. By the 1960s, the station consisted of permanent buildings and was a major unit in the network.
The station was operated by the Australian Department of Supply and provided support for deep space missions until 22 December 1972.
Subsequent tracking stations built by NASA in Australia were:
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
in November 1960.
This area was chosen as the Australian government was working with the government of the United Kingdom on rocket and satellite research close by.
The tracking station began as a trailer installation, and was operational in time for the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
of 1957. By the 1960s, the station consisted of permanent buildings and was a major unit in the network.
The station was operated by the Australian Department of Supply and provided support for deep space missions until 22 December 1972.
Subsequent tracking stations built by NASA in Australia were:
- CarnarvonCarnarvon Tracking StationThe Carnarvon Tracking Station in Western Australia was a tracking station built in 1963 for use by NASA for the Gemini program, the second step for NASA's plan to put a human on the Moon...
, Western Australia - MucheaMuchea Tracking StationEstablished in 1960, Muchea Tracking Station was built specifically for NASA's Project Mercury. It was Station No. 8 of 14 sites around the world used throughout the project. The only other Australian site was No...
, Western Australia - Cooby CreekCooby Creek Tracking StationCooby Creek Tracking Station was located 22.5 km north of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.This station was built in 1966 to support NASA's Application Technology Satellite Program, and was a part of the Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network...
, Queensland - Honeysuckle CreekHoneysuckle Creek Tracking StationHoneysuckle Creek was a NASA tracking station near Canberra, Australia, which played an important role in supporting Project Apollo. The station was opened in 1967 and closed in 1981....
, ACT - Orroral ValleyOrroral Valley Tracking StationThe Orroral Valley tracking station supported Earth-orbiting satellites, as part of NASA's Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network . It is located approximately 50 kilometres south of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory...
, ACT - TidbinbillaCanberra Deep Space Communication ComplexThe Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is a ground station that is located in Australia at Tidbinbilla in the Paddys River valley, about half an hour's drive out of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. The complex is part of the Deep Space Network run by NASA's Jet Propulsion...
, ACT