NASA rockets will launch into space from the Northern Territory this month, in a rare event the federal government is hailing as a historic milestone for Australia's space industry.
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Three rockets will launch from a commercial facility near Nhulunbuy between June 26 and July 12 to investigate phenomena in astrophysics and planetary science that can only be observed in the southern hemisphere.
The rocket launches will be NASA's first from a commercial facility outside the United States. They will also be the first of the space agency's rockets launched from Australia since 1995, when launches were conducted from the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera Range Complex.
About 75 NASA staff will be in Australia for the launches of the scientific suborbital sounding rockets at Arnhem Space Centre, a facility owned and run by commercial operators Equatorial Launch Australia on the Dhupuma Plateau near the Gove Peninsula town of Nhulunbuy in East Arnhem Land.
The Albanese government said traditional owners on the lands of the Gumatj people had been consulted as part of the approval process and that NASA would follow a "clean range policy" of removing all materials involved in the launch from the site.
All spent motor cases and payloads will be recovered and returned to the US, the government said in a statement released on Tuesday.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia's connection to the space industry could be traced back to the 1950s.
"As a nation we have to build on that legacy. This project will bring together global and local industry to take Australia's space sector into a new era."
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said the launches were an important milestone that would further enhance Australia's position as a launch destination.
"We know just how valuable this advancement is to the growth of the Australian space sector," he said.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles called it a landmark occasion for the Top End.
"NASA is adding capacity and rocketing East Arnhem Land into the global spotlight for investors - this will help our industry grow, create more jobs for locals and more opportunities for businesses to expand."