Island Lagoon Tracking Station

The Island Lagoon Tracking Station (Deep Space Station 41), an Earth station in Australia, was the first deep space station to be established outside of the United States, near Woomera, South Australia in November 1960.[1][2]

Island Lagoon Tracking Station
The 26 metre antenna at the tracking station
Alternative namesDeep Space Station 41
Part ofNASA Deep Space Network 
Location(s)South Australia, AUS
Coordinates31°22′54″S 136°53′14″E
Telescope styleradio telescope 
Diameter26 m (85 ft 4 in)
Location of Island Lagoon Tracking Station
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

This area was chosen as the Australian government was working with the government of the United Kingdom on rocket and satellite research at the nearby Woomera Rocket Range.

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. During the American Project Mercury program, it served as station No. 9 in NASA's Manned Space Flight 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:

See also

References
  1. Mackellar, Colin (10 April 2010). "Island Lagoon DSS-41". A Tribute to Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  2. Mudgway, Douglas J. (2001), "Woomera, Australia" (PDF), Uplink-Downlink: A History of the Deep Space Network, 1957–1997, The NASA History Series, Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of External Relations, pp. 20–22, NASA SP-2001-4227, retrieved 23 April 2010
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