A new deep space antenna has been opened in the small town of New Norcia in western Australia, which will help scientists in the study of the universe.
European Space Agency (THIS) has officially launched its world's fourth antenna for communication with distant spacecraft. New Norcia station 3 (Nno-3) became the second on this site.
The height of the antenna is 40 meters, and the weight 700 tons. It was created, to process increasingly large amounts of data, which come from ESA missions within the Solar System.
The management of ESA emphasized, that billions of stars and galaxies, which astronomers observe, create huge flows of information, and reception of such weak signals requires powerful tools. The new antenna will support the missions, aimed at Mars research, Jupiter, the sun, asteroids and other little-studied areas of space.
According to the agency's estimates, the visible part of the universe is only 5%, while the rest is dark energy and dark matter. For their research, ESA launched the Euclid mission.
Ultra-precise communication technology
The management of the ESA station in New Norcia noted, that the antenna has extreme sensitivity and is able to receive signals even from devices, which are at a distance of hundreds of millions of kilometers from the Earth. Cryogenic amplifiers are used for this, cooled to -260 °C, to eliminate any noise and capture the weakest signals.
World map and international cooperation
The antenna will receive a high-resolution image, space maps and scientific data from such planets, like Venus and Mars.
The NNO-3 infrastructure will become part of the international data exchange system. ESA already works with NASA, by India, Japan and other countries, providing mutual access to antennas to support science missions.
New opportunities for science and tourism
The local community welcomed the opening of the antenna with great enthusiasm. The region is considering turning the facility into a tourist and educational location, which will attract visitors and popularize science. highlighted 350 thousands of dollars for the creation of tourist infrastructure: observation deck, information boards and parking for guests.
A step towards a new era of space discoveries
The new antenna will support a number of key missions, among which JUICE is a study of the icy moons of Jupiter, which are considered potential centers of life. Other projects focus on the study of asteroids and the development of technologies to deflect their orbits in the event of a possible threat to Earth.
This infrastructure gives Australia an important role in the global communications network for space missions. This opens up new perspectives not only for science, but also for the development of technologies, international cooperation and popularization of universe research.
Source: https://www.abc.net.au