Av-Comm’s ground infrastructure critical to NASA’s landmark rocket launch from NT’s Arnhem Space Centre

9 July 2022

Australia’s first commercial space rocket launch series was successfully completed from the Northern Territory’s Gove Peninsula this month, and Av-Comm’s own Aussie technology proudly played a role!

Av-Comm supplied critical communications through installing a satellite ground station which provided a reliable and resilient internet connection to the launch site. Av-Comm supplied the equipment and mobilised a team of technicians to travel to the remote site and instal the system. The system was even used to live stream the first launch. If you saw a photo or video from the event, that content came from Av-Comm’s systems.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of the Australian space industry,” Av-Comm Managing Director, Michael Cratt said.

Owner of the Arnhem Space Centre, Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) successfully completed three of its launches of NASA rockets in just 15 days from late June to mid-July. The first launch occurred on 27 June, and saw a BBIX rocket travel over 300 kms in space, carrying an atmospheric observation/sensing platform to help astronomers measure an unstudied part of Centauri A and B’s ultraviolet light spectrum.

Crucial to all successful space operations is the work on the ground. Av-Comm is very proud to have contributed to the ground segment of this project.

Space Industry Association of Australia CEO James Brown specifically called out Av-Comm’s work on the mission’s ground segment on ABC’s The Drum stating: “What kind of impact will this have for kids in the future? Knowing Australians worked on it. Australian technology, from a company in Brookvale here, Av-Comm Space & Defence.”

Av-Comm’s field engineers at the Arnhem Space Centre pictured
with a C-band receiver built by Av-Comm.