Big Tracking Station In Aust. Likely

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31724, 6 July 1968, Page 14

Big Tracking Station In Aust. Likely

Australia is expected to have one of the three biggest space tracking stations in the world. The probable cost is sl6m, all of which will be paid by the United States.

The station, which will form a network with a new station in Spain and one already built in the United States, has been designed for deep-space probes in the 19705. It will have an effective reception and command range of about 250 m miles.

decision by the Appropriations Committee is expected next month. If the station is built in time, it could be used to track space probes to Venus and Mars, planned for the early 19705. Its 210 ft antenna would give contact with space probes for 250 m miles—the present limit is 160 m miles.

The new tracking centre is expected to be in the Canberra area. It will be manned by Australians under the same arrangements made with the Americans for three other tracking stations in the Australian Capital Territory.

Officials of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration have been discussing the future operations of the deep-space tracking network in Australia with officials in Canberra. The mission could not provide concrete information on the plan for the station, as formalities in the United States have not been completed. A budget of s32m to build the A-istralian and Spanish stations has been authorised by the committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. A