The Australian Space Agency and its equivalent European Space Agency (ESA) have jointly announced the construction of a 35-metre, deep space antenna at ESA’s New Norcia station, 140 kilometres north of Perth in Western Australia.
The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources said the 620-tonne antenna would be a new model and would complement the existing deep space antenna on the site, with new functionality and support for additional communication frequencies.
“It will feature the latest in deep space communication technology, including a super-cooled ‘antenna feed’ that will be cryogenically cooled to around -263 Celsius and increase data return by up to 40 per cent,” the Department said.
“The antenna will be so sensitive it can detect signals far weaker than the signal from a mobile phone – if there were one – on the surface of Mars,” it said.
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo said the new antenna would be an important contributor to the local economy and would help grow Australia’s civil space industry and marked positive progress in the Agency and ESA’s cooperative relationship.
“It enables significant economic, technology and scientific benefits for both partners, and will pave the way for further collaboration in areas such as space communication, space situational awareness and mission operations,” Mr Palermo said.
Construction is due to be completed in 2024 with the antenna entering operation in the second half of that year.
