Oh no, you're thinking, yet another cookie pop-up. Well, sorry, it's the law. We measure how many people read us, and ensure you see relevant ads, by storing cookies on your device. If you're cool with that, hit “Accept all Cookies”. For more info and to customize your settings, hit “Customize Settings”.

Review and manage your consent

Here's an overview of our use of cookies, similar technologies and how to manage them. You can also change your choices at any time, by hitting the “Your Consent Options” link on the site's footer.

Manage Cookie Preferences
  • These cookies are strictly necessary so that you can navigate the site as normal and use all features. Without these cookies we cannot provide you with the service that you expect.

  • These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests.

  • These cookies collect information in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used. They allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites. If people say no to these cookies, we do not know how many people have visited and we cannot monitor performance.

See also our Cookie policy and Privacy policy.

This article is more than 1 year old

European Space Agency lights up new Australian antenna

Perth's skies are polluted so ESA puts new sat-tracker in the hamlet of New Norcia

The European Space Agency (ESA) has flicked the switch on a new antenna in the West Australian town of New Norcia.

The new dish is located at an existing ESA facility that sports a 35-metre deep space tracking dish that's been used on big missions like Rosetta and Mars Express. But the agency is now keen on using New Norcia to keep an eye on newly-launched objects sent aloft from the ESA's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The 35-metre 'scope is a little too clumsy for that job, hence the need for the nimbler 4.5 metre dish pressed into service yesterday.

The little dish can also “slave” the big dish. The ESA imagines that arrangement will be handy once the small dish locates an object, as it can then use the larger instrument to collect data at the higher rates its greater sensitivity permits.

The new dish replaces a predecessor in the Australian city of Perth, just 140 kms away but as befits a growing city a busy source of electromagnetic radiation. Recognising that its urban facility was becoming untenable but desirous of ongoing capacity for spotting recent launches, the ESA therefore created the new instrument at New Norcia.

The West Australian facility is part of the nine-location ESTRACK network, which operates in French Guiana, three locations in Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Argentina and Sweden, plus the Australian facility discussed here. ®

 

Similar topics

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like