New Norcia Station
New Norcia Station (also known as NNO) is an ESTRACK satellite ground station for communication with spacecraft after launch, in low earth orbit, in geostationary orbit and in deep space. It is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town of New Norcia, Western Australia.[1] It was the first ESA deep space ground station,[2] followed by Cebreros Station and Malargüe Station.
The station operates one 35-meter dish designated NNO-1[3] capable of two-way transmission in both S- and X-bands using 2 and 20-kilowatt transmitters. The antenna weighs over 600 tonnes and is 40 meters tall. Future upgrade plans include adding a Ka-band station to support international missions.[1]
Construction began in April 2000 and lasted until the end of the first half of 2002. Installation of electronics and communication equipment followed. The station was officially opened on 5 March 2003 by the Premier of Western Australia at the time, Dr Geoff Gallop. Total construction cost was €28 million.[2]
A new 4.5-meter dish designated NNO-2 was inaugurated on 11 February 2016.[4] NNO-2 was installed because the narrow beam width of only 60 microdegrees on the 35-meter dish was causing problems in acquiring spacecraft during their ascent stage.
The 4.5-meter dish has a beam width of approximately 1.2 degrees and can be used to communicate with spacecraft up to 100,000 kilometers in altitude. To help in signal acquisition when the spacecraft position is too uncertain, the 4.5-meter dish has a 0.75-meter dish piggy-backed onto it. This 0.75-meter dish has a beam width of approximately 4.5 degrees.
New Norcia Station was one of the stations providing communications, tracking and data download from the Rosetta spacecraft.[5] In the future it is planned to support the BepiColombo mission.[1]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Norcia Station. |
- 1 2 3 "New Norcia - DSA 1". ESA. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- 1 2 "ESA's first deep space ground station opens in Western Australia". ESA. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Find ESA tracking stations". ESA. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "New antenna ready for business". ESA. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ↑ "What’s up with Rosetta?". ESA. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
External links
- Talking to Satellites in Deep Space from New Norcia, chapter from ESA Bulletin, May 2003.
- Europe’s Access to Deep Space: The Deep Space Ground Station in Australia
Coordinates: 31°02′54″S 116°11′29″E / 31.0482°S 116.1914°E
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