SYDNEY: NASA will launch three rockets within weeks from northern Australia for scientific research, authorities said on Wednesday, marking the first time the space agency will fire rockets from a commercial facility outside the United States. The Australian government has granted regulatory approval for the rockets to be launched from privately owned Equatorial Launch Australia's (ELA) Arnhem Space Centre, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday. "This is a really exciting project," Albanese said during a media briefing in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. The Arnhem Space Centre was recently awarded a launch facilities licence and launch permit for the NASA campaign after a two-year evaluation by the Australian Space Agency. "This is a landmark occasion for the Top End," Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyle said, referring to the geographic region at the territory's north.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 08, 2022 04:50 UTC